The Girl Is Mime
2010 · 7m · UK
Directed by Tim Bunn
Genres: comedy
Tones: absurdist, darkly comic, whimsical
A mime artist is interrogated by police as the prime suspect in his wife's murder — as he cannot speak, flashbacks reveal how they met, fell in love, and drifted apart.
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
Mime murder-interrogation comedy made in 48 hours starring pre-Hobbit Martin Freeman — a one-joke premise milked for seven minutes and 273K views can't be entirely wrong. It's a sketch with a wig on, but it knows that.
A 48-hour film project starring Martin Freeman as a silent mime under interrogation is a high-concept gag delivered with professional craft, and 273K views over thirteen years suggests durable charm. Closer to a clever sketch than a curatorial discovery, but executed with real comic precision.
Made for the London 48 Hour Film Project — that constraint forces decisions and Tim Bunn evidently chose to make Martin Freeman silent for 7 minutes, which is a real performance bet. At 273K views on a 13-year-old film, the visual-only comedy clearly sustains.