Bathed in lensing by writer/director Matthew Kyle Levine and Alex Scarlatos, Maddy Murphy gives a quietly electrifying performance in the 19-minute short film Miss Freelance, a glimpse into the life of Carly, a New York City "freelancer" who spends her time with strange men satisfying needs and occasionally emotions while seemingly searching for some deep sense of satisfaction within herself that we're not sure is ever gonna' come. 

You're never quite sure about the men who fill the screen in Miss Freelance, some of whom seem to possess an attachment that may or may not be real and some of whom seemingly have fantasies they'd never dare speak aloud within the structured confines of a "normal" relationship. 

While you may have seen a film like Miss Freelance before, especially from the male perspective, you haven't likely seen too many featuring such an absorbing, thoughtful performance as is served up by Maddy Murphy. It's such a compelling performance that I instantly found myself looking up her other credits, surprisingly discovering this to be her film debut. 

Keep it going, Maddy, you've got something special. 

Dependable indie actor Timothy J. Cox offers an involving turn as Ben, while Ivan Greene's performance as Maurice is almost jarring in its sense of normalcy. Both Zach Abraham and Keith Boratko also shine. 

Miss Freelance buzzes with the electricity of a busy New York City, the urban setting complementing the emotional chaos that seems to be going on inside Carly. Carly seems to be working overtime to convince herself that these arrangements are meeting some unspoken need, yet every facial expression that Murphy wears illustrates a little more the fractures going on internally and externally. 

Levine wisely avoids any hard and fast cliche's here, the men here portrayed as humans, admittedly needy ones, and Maddy as a richly human young woman trying to be richly human. By the end of the film, we haven't traveled a long journey with Maddy but we've traveled an involving one and Murphy has given us a young woman we care about and care about a little more.

If you get a chance to check out Miss Freelance, I'd definitely give it a watch.

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic