No Experience Necessary
Directed by Emily Everhard
Starring Brenda Wehle, Michael Graceffa, & Delissa Reynolds
Unrated
Runtime: 10 minutes
Premieres at Aspen Shortsfest on April 4

by Melissa Strong, Staff Writer

Imagine that you long to dance, but you literally have two left feet. Agatha (Brenda Wehle) overcomes this misfortune to enjoy a new lease on life in No Experience Necessary, a new short film (dir. Emily Everard). The movie opens in a shoe store, where she taps her toes to the music on the sound system while attempting to make a purchase. Agatha needs two pairs of sneakers because of her matching left feet, but invisibility is her most pressing concern. The store’s male employees hover around an attractive woman wearing lipstick and a low-cut top. They treat Agatha–a senior with practical clothes and white hair–as if she does not exist.

Those of us lucky enough to grow old will encounter ageism. Women will face the combination of sexism and ageism that Agatha experiences. Media typically portray older people as ugly, weak, and senile, even a burden on society. No Experience Necessary instead infuses aging with strength, possibility, and new beginnings.

This charming little flick sees Agatha transform from frumpy to fabulous. A red dress helps, but her attitude gets the makeover. Set in New Jersey in the recent past or present, the film contains little exposition and not much dialogue. Rather, No Experience Necessary uses advertising to set the scene and the tone. Funeral homes and insurance companies bombard Agatha with ads that she avoids. A commercial for a local dance studio speaks to her, though.

This approach is both effective and funny. The humor is broad and a little campy, welcoming the viewer in on the joke. Michael Graceffa and Delissa Reynolds are terrific as the over-the-top dance teacher and his partner. In spite of this, No Experience Necessary has something important to say. Growth is possible at any age, and looking good has more to do with how we feel about ourselves than what others think. This short made me a fan of Emily Everard, a former child actor who makes movies about women, outsiders, and underdogs.

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