It isn’t a horror movie, but if you’re in the mood for something a little whimsical and fantastical tonight—and something that does involve dressing up—Shara Ashley Zeiger’s I Mustache You would be a delightful pick. I probably couldn’t describe it much better than its own press release: “I Mustache You” is a whimsical magical realistic comedy, inspired by Buster Keaton, Looney Tunes, and NYC, about Abby, a woman with social anxiety, OCD, and agoraphobic tendencies who receives an invitation to love, self-acceptance, and the outside world.
You may have gathered from the Buster Keaton reference that the film is silent, except for its propulsive and delightful score. Shara Ashley Zeiger’s rhythmic and exaggerated movements and facial expressions, set to the sometimes lilting and sometimes, yes, cartoonish music, pull us into the colorful world of the modern silent film—where pushing through the turnstiles of the NYC subway becomes the new Chaplinesque routine. What is a daily occurrence for many New Yorkers becomes either an exotic delight or a fearful obstacle to Abby, who rarely leaves the house, and seeing her reactions and adaptations is part of the fun.
The whole impetus for Abby’s brave journey outside her apartment is the mysterious invitation mentioned above. She is simply too curious to find out who wants to meet her despite her hiding away in her apartment like a fearful mouse. The journey is most of the story, but I found the ending to be sweetly satisfying, too.
Mental Filmness 