Imposter: Short film review

We have another short movie review for you! This short film landed in our inbox at the beginning of January and now we finally had the time to watch it and write about it. And we are pretty excited! 

"Imposter" is a silent drama written and directed by Chris Esper. Because we have both watched the movie, have a duo review for you: as always when both writing Carola will write in regular font, while Liv will write in the italic font.

Imposter visually represents the inner struggles of suffering from anxiety. It also has a focus on the idea of the Imposter Syndrome. Imposter syndrom can be defined as a psychological condition, which makes the persons suffering from it constantly doubt their own accomplishments. They have an ongoing fear of being exposed as a 'fraud'/'imposter'. Despite all the efforts they put into their achievements, they don't believe that they deserves everything they achieved. People suffering from the condition attribute their success to luck or a result of deceiving others, making them believe that they are actually good in what they do.

I was very interested in seeing how this short film would represent the struggles of anxiety. It's not easy to visualize it, let alone doing it without also using words. A lot of people suffer from anxiety and I think it's very good that this film raises awareness and shows how it can feel. It's important to make it a subject people can talk about openly. And I really think this short film sheds an unique light on how it feels to suffer from anxiety. I totally agree...although I don not suffer from the syndrome, I am familiar with anxiety issues. Anxiety can really take over your life and often people will not take the impact of it serious, because anxiety is not visible on the outside (like a broken leg for instance).

The films starts with a man who joins a meeting at work. Next to him, we see a boy. When the guy wants to say something in the meeting. The boy takes his pen, which confuses the man. He 's distracted and can't remember what to say in the meeting anymore. It' becomes clear very soon, that the boy is the man. He's some kind of voice or part of the man which makes him insecure. The boy has a huge effect on the man...but of course, no one sees the boy. And that's the kick off of the short film. 

Following on this, we see more examples of people with anxiety. What I really like is that a large part of the movie takes place in a bus. I travel by train a lot and it's not something I always am aware about: That everyone around you has their own struggles and thoughts at that moment. Usually you're just busy traveling yourself. I like this take on how everyone has a story. 

I have to say that I really, really liked this short film! I would definitely recommend everyone to watch it. The subject is very important. And I really liked how they visualized it. Also, the camera work, lighting and sound is excellent! It's not just a movie that gives some insight in how it feels to live with anxiety, the film has a great story. I was really shocked at some points and I think the overall story is very well written. I'm not going into details, just watch it for yourself! I just have to say that I'm very enthusiastic. I absolutely loved watching  "Imposter". It's well written, exciting and touching. And that in such a short time. The acting was great as well. All actors really brought their story to life and I would love to see more of them.

Same here. I know how it feels to have anxiety take over your thoughts and eventually your life. I also think that the crew behind this very interesting short film, have done an excellent job in visualizing these inner struggles. I definitely recommend watching this short movie. Like Carola already said: everything about the production was good. The sound, the lighting, the acting, the story and the music. Must watch!

Are you curious already? Watch the trailer of the movie below!  At this time the movie is on the festival circuit, so it isn't available to buy yet. We will of course keep you posted on this.