This short film sees a normal date with some small talk. The man is asking the woman about memories, first boyfriends, this type of thing and the woman is answering but getting nothing back in return. When it becomes apparent that he is not giving her anything in return but is asking quite a lot, she gets up to leave.
This is the second short film I watched from Ben Briand and I followed him because of how taken I was by the visuals and atmosphere within his previous film. No surprise then to find that I enjoyed this one just as much and pretty much for the same reasons – but with the same problems too. The problem is that the whole story is not really there if you're looking for it; something mysterious is happening here but we never really get at it. This is not unusual for a short film but I can understand why it will be a limiting factor for some; I know it was for me.
Fortunately it is what the film does well that carries it. The whole thing is really well shot, from the velvet tones of the date through to the warmth and slightly fuzzy shooting of the memories. The music adds a soft and thoughtful air but most importantly the acting is really good. Leslie is intriguing as the man who appears to have limited ability to remember anything, but it is Gordon that is worth watching. Her reactions and thoughts and emotions are very clear on her face but she makes them convincing and not too obvious at the same time. Although I loved the look of most of the film, it was her performance that tended to hold me the most.
So story-wise there is not enough here to really satisfy, but the simple idea and the delivery is well worth having a look at.