''Mute'' is a 2005

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

Melissa Joan Hart Melissa Joan Hart (born April 18, 1976) is an American actress. She had starring roles as the title characters in the sitcoms ''Clarissa Explains It All'' (1991–1994), ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996 TV series), Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' (1 ...

and is her

directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many filmmakers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...

. The film was first released at the

Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films The Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films (a.k.a. Palm Springs International ShortFest) held annually in Palm Springs, California is the largest film festival for short films in the United States. The Palm Springs International Festi ...

on September 21, 2005, and stars her sister Emily Hart as Eileen, a woman determined to get revenge on her sister.

Synopsis

Eileen ( Emily Hart) is a

deaf-mute Deaf-mute is a term which was used historically to identify a person who was either deaf and used sign language or both hearing impairment, deaf and muteness, could not speak. The term continues to be used to refer to deaf people who cannot speak ...

that is sabotaging her sister Claire's (

Emily Deschanel Emily Erin Deschanel (; born October 11, 1976) is an American actress. She played Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan in the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox crime procedural series ''Bones (TV series), Bones'' (2005–2017). Early life and education ...

) wedding out of a sense of retribution. She believes that Claire is responsible for the accident that left her unable to hear or talk, as Eileen had previously had an affair with her sister's fiancee, James (

Dylan Neal Dylan Jeremy Neal (born October 8, 1969"Catching up with....Dylan Neal". ''Soap Opera Digest''. July 22, 2013. p. 73.) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his portrayal of the character Dylan Shaw on the soap opera ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' ...

). James refuses to believe that his future wife could be capable of such an act, which prompts Eileen's attempt at revenge.

Cast

* Emily Hart as Eileen *

as Claire *

as James *

Garry Marshall Garry Kent Marshall (November 13, 1934 – July 19, 2016) was an American screenwriter, director, producer and actor. Marshall began his career in the 1960s as a writer for ''The Lucy Show'' and ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' until he developed the T ...

as Pastor * Carlease Burke as Translator *Julie Albert as Violinist * Matt Boren as Cameraman *Bob Davidson as Dad * Jacob Jackson as Ring Bearer * Kristin Lipiro as Bartender

Reception

The ''

Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local, regional, national, and international news. Founded in 1837, the newspaper was owned by Tribune Publish ...

'' gave a mixed review for ''Mute'', stating that Hart "makes some unimaginative directorial choices, she does sustain the creepy mood, so the squalid little story could prove to be a successful jumping-off point for a career directing noirs."

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0477784 2005 short films 2005 films American short films 2005 directorial debut films 2000s English-language films English-language short films