One of the smartest projects I saw at SXSW this year is the pilot episode of Are We Still Married, starring Taylor Misiak and Dustin Milligan as a wife and husband in a unique situation. After a bat bites Jack, transforming him into a vampire, he comes to the front door of his home, asking his wife Laura to let him back inside. Per vampire rules, Jack now needs an invitation to reenter his home, an invitation that Laura withholds. This man looks and sounds like her husband, he makes her laugh and cry like her husband, and still she doesn’t know if she can trust him. As the two talk over the course of the night, Laura wrestles with the impossible choice, and the stakes ratchet as the clock ticks and daybreak draws near.
From a production perspective, director Kit Steinkellner absolutely nails it. This is gorgeously shot and cleverly constructed utilizing a single location in ways that keep the viewer’s interest. Because Jack can’t enter their (former) home without Laura’s permission (vampire rules!), the two spend a night in conversation across doorways and windows. Jack tries to convince Laura that he would never harm her, even though we all know that we can’t help but hurt the ones we love the most. Laura learns how/where Jack spends his time now that he’s out of the house and wonders if a new way of life will work for them. Throughout, Misiak and Milligan are endlessly charming and share a real chemistry.
There’s not much more to say about the pilot, except that its overflowing with potential. You can really see this series stretching out over several seasons. Played for dramedy, it’s essentially a metaphor for long term relationships and how we react when those we love the most seem to change right before our very eyes. It would be great to see this go to series.