IMPOSTER

THE SETUP

Firstly, I’d just like to say thank you to On Edge Productions and Writer/Director, Chris Esper for allowing me access to an online screener of his 9 minute Drama short, “Imposter”. Imposter is an experimental drama that deals with the inner struggles for those who suffer from anxiety. A bus ride sees a number of individuals come together to deal with their crippling debilitation. The film stars Tom Mariano, Brendan Meehan, Sheetal Kelkar, and Jamie Braddy.

At just 29 years of age, Chris Esper has already racked up a number of credits. Having worked on shorts for over a decade now, Imposter marks his twenty-fourth short film (and by his own admission one of the most important). Most of DP, Richard King’s camera work looks interesting and he utilizes gentle movements to highlight certain things in the scene. The pleasant piano themed score completes the mood and the acting is solid all around. Whilst I didn’t love all the framing choices and the inconsistency of the practical fx toward the end, Imposter highlights an extremely important supposition that at the end of the day we’re all the same. Don’t judge someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. Circumstance is just circumstance. We all love, we all hurt, we all bleed, we all cry, and we lean on each other to get through the hard times. It’s making that choice to put yourself out there despite the fear of failing. I commend Esper for starting to render the foundations of the stigma surrounding anxiety and depression and doing so in such a muted but powerful way. What’s more impressive is Chris’s willingness to put himself out there in spite of his own personal struggles and to bare all in what is one of the most vulnerable of artistic mediums. Imposter is unfiltered and very well made, you can check out the trailer below and be sure to keep an eye out for it soon!

My rating for “Imposter” is 8/10