A talky short film delving into a former couple’s musings on time, space, and philosophy as a catalyst to lingering emotions.

“Time Lost Love,” directed by Mario J. Ricciardi, is an experimental sci-fi romance that seamlessly merges the introspective dialogue of the “Before Trilogy” with the eerie, thought-provoking twists of “The Twilight Zone.” This short film is a conversation-driven exploration of a former couple’s lingering emotions, as they muse over time, space, and philosophy. Through their dialogues, “Time Lost Love” delves into the complexity of human relationships, using sci-fi elements as a catalyst for deeper emotional and intellectual engagement.

Part of a larger multi-narrative feature titled “Midwest Sessions,” set to release in the fall of 2024, “Time Lost Love” captivates with its sharp editing and fluid dialogue. The film impresses with its composure and the performances of its cast, which give the narrative a unique allure. This short film breaks barriers with its intriguing take on romance and philosophy, leaving viewers with lingering questions and a deep appreciation for its innovative approach.

“Time Lost Love” combines elements of the “Before Trilogy” with the “Twilight Zone.” What inspired you to blend these two distinct styles, and how did you approach this unique combination in your storytelling?

Great question! I think sometimes when people cite inspiration it gets mistranslated as copying – and sometimes that’s the case – but I think other times the person you are (nature & nurture) has developed these interests and fascinations, but executing on them gets lost in brain fog. I’ve always been intrigued by questions that challenge my perception of reality (I was raised religious), and I also feel conversation as a really high stakes situation (maybe it’s social anxiety?). The Twilight Zone and The Before Trilogy were trailblazing moments for me, because they so confidently and proficiently executed a roadmap that showed 1. These feelings you have can translate to film and 2. A benchmark for the technical aptitude (writing, cinematography) I’d need to aim at for audiences to buy it.

Can you elaborate on the themes you wanted to explore through their conversations?

For sure. I wanted the audience to feel like they were sitting in a freshman philosophy class, while simultaneously next to a couple airing out their relationship. I think being in both of those settings would really capture my attention, and on top of the gossip fodder, there’s the personal connections I would relate to – so I thought maybe others would as well.

How does “Time Lost Love” fit into the larger multi-narrative feature titled “Midwest Sessions”? Can you give us a glimpse of how this segment connects with the other narratives?

Midwest Sessions loosely intertwines the lives of a handful of people living in a rustbelt town in the midwest. And on top of whatever personal frustrations stem from that, there’s a supernatural element that weighs on the town – like totems for the despair/frustration. This chapter was written to satisfy the philosophy pillar of the supernatural for me (there’s ghosts and stuff in other chapters), and these characters are mentioned as acquaintances by other characters in the project.

The editing and cutting in the film are incredibly sharp. Can you discuss your approach to editing and how it contributed to the film’s overall fluidity and pacing?

For sure! So we shot the entire conversation at each location – I wasn’t sure what moments were going to shine through in post. Then after cutting each location as its own film, I chose the bar scene as the main thread because I liked the energy in that one the most. Then I put each moment in each scene against each other to see which rang truest. Making the dialogue seamless just kind of happened – which is a bit of a lazy answer, but it just kind of fell into place after all the reviewing I did.

The dialogue between the characters is a standout element of the film. How did you work with your cast to achieve such natural and engaging conversations?

It helps that really talented people agree to be part of your project. Brant and Emelia are forces of nature. They’re amazing at taking new material, channeling that into who they are, finding their truth, and manipulating that into a performance. That said, I never want to use talent as a shortcut, it just means we don’t have to spend as much time on the basics. We met twice a week over Zoom for 2-2.5 months to get the script and characters to a place where it felt honest. I think by the end we were at draft 21 of the script.

Can you talk about the challenges and rewards of directing a “talky” short film, where the primary focus is on dialogue and philosophical discussions?

I think it can be accommodating to low budget filmmaking. Even with modern advancements in special effects, I just don’t have that wheelhouse. But if you’re shooting something with virtually no camera movements, little-to-no crew, and no effects hook, you have to realize that what you do have (actors, dialogue, lighting, the energy in the scene) needs to be that much stronger to compensate. But there’s a whole history of film that operated on those tenants so it’s cool to say you attempted something in the vein of that.

The film raises many questions and leaves some lingering mysteries. How do you balance providing enough information to engage the audience while maintaining an air of mystery?

I think when we watch films there’s an audit of emotional receptors and logical receptors that we balance to decide if what we just experienced is satisfactory. For me I just tried to keep in mind that this script’s core is the relationship, and the philosophy/larger story is an interesting vehicle to get us there.

Finally, what are your favourite short films that you’ve seen over the years?

I’m a big fan of ‘What did Jack do?’ That short film always makes me laugh way too much. ‘Cigarettes and Coffee’ by PTA is an inspiration for me because of how much I enjoy ‘Hard Eight.’ I think I watch more commercials and music videos than shorts though. On an indie level I do always enjoy whatever Collin Black does just for how he pushes the boundaries of low budget filmmaking.