Chris Esper is growing as a director and shows his progress through his comedy short, "Please Punish Me". Tom Paolino wrote the story, Chad Kaplan the screenplay. The story is about a man who seems to have an easy path in life - full of raises and promotions, but he isn't happy. He seeks to even out the Karma in his life by purposely seeking some kind of punishment for his unearned good luck. Technically, this short film is well done. Lighting, camera shots, framing, sound, etc. is all good and not a distraction from the story. Great actors bring a focused, fun energy to the screen. A special nod to the manic Mark Carter as Creugar, the "pretty face" at the front. The story starts out a bit slowly, but kicks into high gear by the time the main character is on his way to his "punishment". Smartly told story that could easily have sunk into a sleazy vibe. Instead, we get not only laughs, but a sweet touch of heart at the end With a very well directed scene between the man, David Sackal, and the woman, Joanna Donofrio. Both actors bring a touch of class to their roles.
