Hugh (Nate Ruth) and his father Hugo (Colin Allen) have very different ideas about what it means to be a mime..

Juror comments: I enjoyed this short film about a boy and his father who learn to accept each other on their own terms. The characters cleverly use mime rather than dialogue to tell their story in The Double Life of Hugh. I could relate to seeing the father and son with their different personalities and wanting to do things differently.

The storyline follows Hugh, a young mime who has his own ideas about how he wants to perform. He struggles with understanding what it means to be normal and in getting his dad's approval on his performance ideas.

The storyline has a conflict that teens can relate to. Hugh and his father have different ideas about performing; Hugh is trying to find his own identity as a mime. This is something that many teens experience in their own lives – when they and their parents disagree about how things should be done. The various camera angles help give us insight into the characters, such as when we see the boy looking into the mirror or reading a book. Another shot, from above, shows the father’s anguish when his son runs away and he is alone, grieving. Some shots, such as those onstage are a bit dark and not well lit. The mine’s costume is a traditional one and works well. The outfits he changes to for normal street-ware work well. I particularly enjoyed Hugh's new mime costume at the end because it follows his own style, yet still fits a mime. The main location is a stage. It has a simple background that is appropriate for the performance. The location of the small town gives us a sense of where he lives. I like how the music changes to fit the mood of the characters. It is upbeat in the happier scenes and more dramatic when they are arguing. My favorite part is the performances. All of the actors - Ben Tobin as Hugo’s Father, Nate Ruth as Hugh and Colin Allen as Hugo – deliver admirable performances. My favorite scene is when Hugh decides to return and join his father again. The father is glad to welcome his son come back and accepts his new costume and his new ideas. They also cleverly make use of the written word occasionally, to show the passage of time, which is similar to how silent movies were made and applicable to this non-narrative film. I love the ending, when the boy returns and the two of them make up! It shows that, in the end, we can all accept changes from the younger generation.

The message is about accepting others for who they are. The father wants the boy to perform his way; Hugh wants to perform in his own style. In the end the boy wants to continue to perform with his father and the father accepts the boy’s way of performing so they can continue to perform together.

I give this film 3.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 14. Reviewed by Carlee S., KIDS FIRST!