Inside the Short: Happy Place

What if goodbye isn't goodbye?

A moral of the story is not to judge a book by its cover: Maggie Sharpanova—rich, successful Manhattan attorney utterly devoid of any social grace, played to absolute perfection by Morgan J., gives the gift of reconciliation with a loved one who has passed via emerging technology called Happy Place.

The recipient? An underling, Amy, legal secretary at the firm who, despite falling several tax brackets below her, makes up for the financial shortcomings with street smarts.

"Everybody likes you down there. They do. I guess you're street-smart. Relatable."

Shannen Velasco inquired, while discussing the role, asking if a New Yorker accent, akin to a Brooklynite, is something I'd find appropriate. Embarrassed I hadn't thought of it, I readily agreed. Given the setting, how could I not? In my mind, Amy could've been a transplant from, well. Anywhere. Needless to say, she crushed it, displaying her range. Linguistics aside, the cool sophistication that comes with somebody allergic to drama, overpriced lattes and whose nose is planted firmly in the ground—not in the air.

"Maggie Sharpanova coming to my doorstep offering me her approval. Excuse me while I swoon."

The technology at play, while an interesting concept (one becoming increasingly realistic, I'd argue), serves only to bridge the gap between these contrasting characters, revealing who they really are: Amy, staunchly independent after being discarded by her parents (voiced by the terrific Mitch Kaye and Daria Kolodko), and Maggie, an awkward, socially isolated Type-A who yearns for acceptance.

In the end, Happy Place encircles two lonely people who needed each other far more than either was willing to admit.