Ivan Kander
I realize it’s a generic statement, but the pandemic has had a profound impact on all of our lives: from our mental health to our understanding of the world to how we interact with other people. Or, perhaps more bluntly, how we don’t…
COVID has also affected the nuts and bolts of indie filmmaking: big budgets and scopes have been eschewed for small-scale approaches, stripping things down to their most basic form (limited locations and characters). Granted, in some form, indie-filmmaking has always been about limiting cinematic collateral, but the pandemic has changed the language of what that inherently looks like, making the use of “screenlife” and Zoom windows a ubiquitous tool in visual storytelling.
Outside from writer/director Emily Murnane seems like the natural marriage between both concepts: a reflection on isolation and mental health combined with the creative use of limited resources to tell a compelling story as a young woman struggles to maintain a facade while in a long-distance relationship. Oh, and did I mention, it’s also kind of a comedy?
The majority of Outside takes places in a video call, between lead actors Anosh McAdam (L) & Alyssa Limperis.
Produced by Table For Three Films (set-up by the director, her lead actress Alyssa Limperis and DP Andrew Daugherty), in a way, this short-short feels like the perfect low-budget vehicle for Murnane’s whip-smart darkly comedic voice. Having followed her on Twitter for ages, Murnane always seems to straddle this strange line of “funny, but…you know…in a sad way.” It’s a hard to tone to quantify, both strange and self-aware: sort of like the absurd image of someone bawling on the subway. I mean, it’s sad…but, also, it’s kind of sort of funny?
Outside encapsulates the idea. The overarching premise is actually quite high-concept: woman fakes living in a different city so she doesn’t have to actually meet her long-distance virtual boyfriend. You could see it being played for broad laughs. But, Murnane also manages to mine the vulnerability of it too: there’s something real and heartbreaking as it explores depression and agoraphobia (two topics that are extremely hard to make compelling on screen).
As Murnane relates to Short of the Week:
“I wanted to open up a conversation about the toll isolation has taken on many of us over the last two and a half years. There’s a push to get back to normal and go on with life like covid never happened, but many of us still struggle to feel like we’re living life again. There’s so much anxiety about being in public due to the threat of COVID and our atrophied social muscles, but there’s also an immense amount of pressure to be social and active again. Going out seems needlessly dangerous, staying home feels like we’re missing out on life. It often feels like an impossible position to be in, and I wanted to speak to this in the film.”
It helps that Murnane is able to enlist Limperis to balance on the tonal tight-rope. Limperis (internet famous for a variety of things, including her viral “Mom” videos) is charming one second and emotionally devastating the next. She’s just an electric performer, and she never overplays either end of the manic depressive spectrum. I also really liked the interplay she develops with co-star Anosh McAdam, especially as their witty quips quickly escalates into full-scale argument.
Outside is a simple short, yes. But, its scrappy indie sensibility (made for a whopping $15!) is part of its charm. Moreover, it feels like a great display of Murnane’s unique talents: sharp comedic writing that isn’t afraid to shy away from drama and melancholy.