The merits of "Une vie gaspille" are tough for me to describe in words without running the risk of spoiling the plot. As an early narrative film of 1910, one should expect that the substance of the story is given more emphasis than the creative use of edits, cinematography, or set design. The film is an 8-minute drama about the grown daughter of an alcoholic father and hardworking mother. She is seduced by a series of men who ply her with drink, money, and affection, before they leave her to take care of herself in the poverty-stricken sections of an unnamed city. The end of the film is unremittingly tragic: she attempts to repent her wayward life and fails.