2023 HOLLYSHORTS FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW!
A young couple, Lukas (Dillon Bentlage) and Mila (Emily Ann Zisko), struggle to make their relationship work. They currently live thousands of miles apart, and their ability to connect is often thwarted by time zones, work, or something else entirely. They are trying their best to Play It By Ear, but this is proving to be far more difficult than they anticipated.
Play It By Ear is a short web series that lives on YouTube. The series is six episodes long–but this review is an in-depth look at just the first episode (Mis Je, Mean It). If I were to attempt to watch a new show, I would give it one chance and one chance only–that being the first episode. If I’m not captivated, or at least a little curious by the end of that pilot episode, I don’t continue watching. This is how I approached Play It By Ear. I wanted to see if the first episode had enough vigor to warrant further viewing–and I’m pleased to say that it does.
Viewers are instantly thrown into the lives of Mila and Lukas–specifically Lukas’. We see him masterbating, and we immediately know the type of person he is and his current frame of mind. We can tell he’s lonely, driven by sex, and, honestly, just like millions of others around the world. He’s familiar, and it’s incredibly easy to look at him and understand how he is similar to ourselves. Writer-Directors Simon Kienitz Kincade and Zisko ensure that viewers are able to bond with Lukas, that we are able to understand him on a deeply emotional level–and they navigate familiar territory as a way to do this.
Not long after meeting Lukas, we meet Mila. She’s different but the same. Still lonely, still driven by sex. She, too, is easily accessible–and from the second Zisko steps on screen, it’s clear that viewers will be able to connect with her. It becomes abundantly clear that Play It By Ear is a character-based series, that it will rely almost entirely on Lukas and Mila’s character arcs and Bentlage and Zisko’s ability to bring them to life in order to be successful. This is just the first episode, but it seems clear that this is the direction the team is headed, and that they will be more than capable of achieving their goals.
These characters are driven by sex, and it plays a prominent role in the opening episode of the series. We see the two having sexual conversations over the phone, but characters are seen masterbating, and there’s an overarching theme of sex that transcends the entirety of this episode of Play It By Ear. What a way to connect with viewers, by shoving sex in their faces for more than ten minutes. I know that may have sounded facetious, but that was genuine. I genuinely believe that the majority of the world is driven by sex, that it and money are things that make the world go around and motivate everyone to get out of bed in the morning (or, I guess…stay in bed–depending on which one of those two motivates you more). Kincade and Zisko address that here–as the only two things we see our main characters doing is working and engaging in sexual activity. This duo knows how to write characters, interestingly simplistic characters, but damn good ones.
I was moved by the pilot episode of Play It By Ear, as I was able to see two people that seem to accurately represent the real world. Their motivations, their aspirations, their purpose–all are expressed throughout the course of “Mis Je, Mean It.” Viewers are physically pulled in close, creating a very intimate setting without ever going too far or showing too much. “Mis Je, Mean It” is a brilliant first episode for Play It By Ear, effectively establishing a story and likable characters. After watching this, my plan is to finish the series and see where these interestingly loveable individuals are headed.
Written & Directed by Simon Kienitz Kincade & Emily Ann Zisko.
Starring Dillon Bentlage, Emily Ann Zisko, Nastassia Firestone, Brian Reilly, Diede Zillinger Molenaar, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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