A
prominent radio psychologist once told us every comedian she ever knew wrestled
with depression. That is certainly true of “Will the Thrill.” However, he has
perfectly good reasons for being down. His mother has just died, but one of her
final requests might help him to finally face issues from his past in Miki (trailer here), Weiko Lin’s short
film adaptation of his award-winning play, which starts a week of special
screenings this Friday in Los Angeles.
Will
never really knew what to make of his mother’s conversation to Buddhism, so he
is rather put off when her spiritual advisor-sifu tells the comedian he must
marry within the next one hundred days to allow her soul to rest peacefully,
according to Buddhist teachings. To add insult to awkwardness, he also informs
Will his mother wanted his childhood sweetheart to have her prayer beads.
Much
to Will’s surprise, his mother had kept in touch with Miki. When he was thirteen,
he was convinced she was the one—and frankly he probably still believes it.
Unfortunately, she moved away and eventually married. After several
self-destructive stops on his college tour, Will finally reconnects with Miki.
It is a difficult reunion for both, but Will just might begin to understand
some of the darkness Miki went through during the intervening years.
In
all honesty, Miki might be the most
emotionally devastating short you will see in the next one hundred Sundays. As
the titular Miki, Karli Hall tears the audience’s collective heart out. It is just
a quietly overwhelming performance, better than the vast majority of work you
will see in features. Likewise, Eric Martig’s portrayal of Will the Thrill is
unusually brave, bringing to mind Jeff Bridges’ aggressive self-loathing in The Fisher King.
Miki is very much about
what ails both damaged people, but it is also intriguing for the way it
portrays the American Buddhist convert experience. Good old Will can’t help
remarking on the pasty whiteness of his mother’s sifu (played by Daniel Van
Kirk, who makes a strong impression during his brief screen time). Yet, the
film clearly implies her Buddhist faith was a source of strength for his mother
and also for the Jewish Miki.