“If there is proof God exists, would I believe?” This is a question with which many people worldwide struggle. “The Lost Journal of Vice Marceaux” is a short film in which a doctor believes he’s discovered concrete proof: 21 grams.

Of course, the 21 grams is the weight allegedly lost at death. Here a doctor, in Boston in 1779, happens upon this while weighing a child dying of small pox. The doctor’s already lost his own wife and child when the film begins, and the pain has taken its toll. He has lost his faith in God. After all, he reasons, why would a benevolent God permit the death and suffering of so many innocents. Many of the doctor’s patients are children who die daily of a small pox that has infected the community.

After noticing the weight loss experienced by the child who dies while being weighed, the doctor embarks on a study of sorts placing his terminal patients on a scale and documenting the findings in his journal. A kind man of the cloth, who wants to re-instill within the doctor faith, befriends him.

Burningham’s film looks excellent. Authentic period set pieces and costuming makes way for the interesting story. Such a tale could be fodder for a feature, and suffers a little under the 15 minute running time with a truncated conclusion in which the doctor confronts awkwardly the man of God. I may watch the film again to understand better what actually happens between the two men and why it happens. A feature would more fully flesh this out, hopefully without diving into horror or thriller.

Darren Aronofsky’s “The Fountain” was a trippy romance that dealt with extending life and odd time travel ideas. While that film wasn’t magic, its focus on the romantic elements were enhanced by the science fiction ones. The same could be true of Burningham’s film if adapted into a feature. And the intriguing hook would be the search for proof that God exists. Like Aronofsky’s ambitious “The Fountain,” the central question would go largely unanswered but the romantic story-line would balance the tale, giving the audience something to hang onto. Burningham’s short leaves you wondering about the doctor’s wife and his love for her and his departed child. Like all good short films, “The Lost Journal of Vice Marceaux” leaves us wanting to learn more.