In 2002 director Brad Silbering made Moonlight Mile, a critically-acclaimed drama starring Dustin Hoffman, Susan Sarandon, and Jake Gyllenhall. For a follow up? How about last year's low budget comedy drama 10 ITEMS OR LESS (First Look Pictures) - recently released to the home market on DVD - about a Spanish clerk named Scarlet working in a low-end grocery store in a bad part of Los Angeles? Okay, Morgan Freeman plays an actor, basically himself, who stops by to research a role, but still.

Actress Paz Vega plays the role of Scarlet, and while you may not know the name, her face is probably familiar. Vega is an accomplished actress, last seen in English in the underrated Spanglish. Here, her Scarlet is the checker at the store, trapped in a dead end job, divorcing a loser two-timing husband, and dreaming of life as an office secretary. Freeman latches on to her, observes all her quirks, and learns about her life, even though Scarlet isn't ready to open up.

Soon, Freeman gets himself invited to tag along with the clerk as she confronts the cheating husband (played by actor Bobby Canavale in just one scene) and gets ready for the important secretarial job interview. In addition to delving into Scarlet's life as a clerk, the movie also allows Freeman to reveal a little about himself. But really, that's all there is to it. 10 ITEMS OR LESS is a small movie, but knows it. This is a wonderful character study that allows its prime actors to play characters in a movie that's about nothing more than the interactions they share.

There are no great big revelations or climactic crying jags, just simple little pleasures that make sense and provide the smallest of story arcs. Best of all, the movie never outstays its welcome. The running time is listed as 85 minutes, but the truth is closer to 70, before credits and so on. A 70 minute movie may be hard to market, but in this age of 2-hour plus blockbusters, it is a welcomed treat.