Filmmaker Spotlight: “The Low Lives” by Mikhail Tot
Hey readers! This month’s spotlight is the first show to be featured in this series.
“The Low Lives” is a satirical sitcom created, written & directed by Mikhail Tot. The series stars Rob Grant, Sean Manos, Samantha Mauney Aiken, Claire Arble, Tim Hale, Angel Matos, and Tot. Across seven episodes, “The Low Lives” chronicles the adventures of a trio of gamers (Grant, Manos, and Tot) who have been playing with each other online for about five years. Hilarity & chaos ensues when these gamers finally meet each other IRL.
Though it’s far lighter thematically than the content I’ve been promoting in recent months, I do detect a hint of commentary on gamer/slacker culture from this show. From pursuing their career dreams to asking girls out on dates, the three protagonists spend much of the series trying to get off their couches and get their shit together. These efforts often don’t end how they hope they would.
Indeed, despite its lighthearted tone, there’s certainly a downbeat energy to the series. No matter what, these characters seem to be perennially stuck on the lowest rung of society (hence the series title). Yet this quality makes the series all the more relatable and watchable. You find yourselves rooting for them throughout their quests in both the video game world and the real world. And whether these quests end in victory or defeat, the series encloses them with enough humor to keep viewers laughing all the way from the pilot to the final scene of the series finale.
With its cast of irreverent characters, sublime writing and excellent VFX of its video game sequences, “The Low Lives” is a great comedy series that will resonate with everyone, from the highfalutin bourgeois to the lazy pothead gamers trying to get laid. One could say that, in a sense, we’re all low lives. Anyway, I’ll be back next month with another spotlight, but for now…
…click on this link to watch all seven episodes of “The Low Lives!”
