PROOF OF CONCEPT

Written and directed by Max Cohn and Ellie Sachs, the short film PROOF OF CONCEPT is a filmmaker and cinephiles meta-inside joke.

Richard Kind plays Robert Cohen, a man with an aspiring filmmaker daughter. An ager Chloe, played hilariously by Ellie Sachs, tries to get dad and her Uncle Eddie on board for funding a short film, or “proof of concept.” Will Janowitz brings a dry, deadpan delivery to Uncle Eddie that reminds me of Brendan Hunt as Coach Beard from Ted Lasso. That whip-smart, wheels always turning, happy-go-lucky attitude goes a long way against Kind’s darling confusion. Add in Sachs’ wild enthusiasm, and that’s comedy gold.

Filmed in my and Kind’s neighborhood of the Upper West Side, the film takes place as Chloe describes it, making the scenario even funnier. Do I want to see the feature-length version of this? Yup. Is this perhaps the most convincing actual proof of concept ever created? I think it might.