“Idle Mist” is an interesting short film that examines notions of reality and mental illness through the eyes of a comic book artist/musician and the people around him.
Andres Useche is the director, writer and star of this film, which is based on a graphic novel he created of the same name. (The Spanish title of this film and the graphic novel is “Vana Espuma.”) He plays Ciro, a likable fellow whose sleep is interrupted by these incredibly odd dreams. His girlfriend, Valeria (Catalina Gallo), is concerned for his well being, though when people start dying in the streets of Manizales and Ciro begins to suspect he is somehow behind it, she isn’t exactly sympathetic. Valeria soon discovers just how fragile her reality is, however, when Ciro pays her a visit one night and shows her that his worst fears just may be realized.
This film is a lot deeper than it has any right to be, and the fact that it was made in three days on a hundred dollar budget just goes to show how dedicated Useche’s crew must have been to produce such a unique vision. And with all of the awards it’s won, the film probably won’t do too well in North America. We like less thinking and more action in our films — especially “comic book films.” “Idle Mist” provides the exact opposite, but it’s nice to see a movie based on a graphic novel (a more expensive, better bound version of a comic book) that doesn’t pander to preconceived notions of what the genre is supposed to be about.
