4
(1)

MILLIE’S CARE FREE DAY

4
(1)

What could the solution be for someone living a monotonous life? An existence built on following a strict schedule with no room for deviation or freedom. The answer, in many people’s heads, seems obvious, but for others, it is a lot more difficult.

Millie’s (Kathryn Miller) days follow the same script. The alarm sounds at 6:00 AM, she get’s a call from her friend Leah (Rachel Keefe) that goes ignored, then it’s onto getting ready, sitting in traffic, work, evening movie, sleep and repeat. It’s a vicious cycle she cannot seem to shake, but one morning has her thinking otherwise. Ignoring her responsibilities, she heads to the local lake for some much-needed rest and recovery. However, her decision leads to unexpected consequences when Leah shows up. All of a sudden, Millie’s world get’s turned upside down as she’s forced to confront something she was completely unprepared for.

Millie’s Care Free Day moves at a breakneck pace, starting with a fast-paced opening that establishes Millie’s mundane lifestyle and ending with a sudden shift to her self-made day off. Sometimes it can feel like the film is tripping over its own feet getting to the next sequence, as the mixture of tones that writer/director Michael Licisyn employs doesn’t connect seamlessly at every turn. Millie’s conundrum starts out simple enough but quickly branches out into something deeper and more sophisticated, a transition that doesn’t immediately make the necessary impact.

However, it’s hard to deny Licisyn’s skills behind the camera and in the editing room. Every single shot feels deliberate across the film’s 9-minute runtime. Modern filmmakers coined the phrase “shoot for the edit,” perfectly encapsulating the film. The film wastes no angles or movements, ensuring that everything on screen is precisely what you, the viewer, needs to see and hear. A wonderful score by Kevin Stahl also accompanies Millie along her journey of self-discovery, including a catchy original song, This Time, with terrific vocals from Kathryn Miller.

Ultimately, the short thrives off the drama between Millie and Leah, played by superbly matched actresses Miller and Keefe. Leah pokes and prods her best friend, hinting at something darker at play as Keefe turns up the intensity with an explosive performance choice. There’s clearly something wrong with the two, yet the dialogue doesn’t spoon-feed any specifics. If anything, it only enforces the film’s staying power by encouraging speculation. Why is Millie ignoring Leah’s calls? Why does she keep calling? Why is Leah so inquisitive at the lake? Once you get to piecing the details together, the reality of Millie’s situation becomes devastatingly clear.

FIND MORE

MORE YOU MIGHT LIKE