A man goes to a woman's home for a dinner date -- and sees her kinky pillow.


SECOND DATE is used with permission from Briana Pozner and Josh Duvendeck. Learn more at https://brianapozner.com and   / jduvee  .


Tim has been out of the dating scene for a very long time, and he's anxious and uncertain about a lot of the apps, rules and norms that have arisen since he last went out with someone. But he's recently met a woman named Aubrey that he's hit it off with -- and she's invited him for dinner at her house on their second date.

Though flustered and nervous, the date seems promising -- until he spots a quirky pillow on her sofa that makes him unexpectedly nervous. He can't quite get the trendy, slightly racy design out of his consciousness, throwing off what little game he has and threatening to derail a promising romance.

Directed and written by Briana Pozner and Josh Duvendeck (who play Aubrey and Tim, respectively), this short romantic comedy is a sharp, clever snapshot of dating in the age of modern anxiety, when every little word, image, object and emoji is a sign, clue or portent. When nothing means everything and everything could be something, it's easy to get swept up in mental hurricanes of our own making, derailing our confidence and groundedness in high-stakes social situations.

Like many rom-coms, the foundation of the film is smart, funny writing that has an ear for both contemporary patois and classic subtext, where people say all kinds of witty things as they suss out what the other person's romantic intentions are. While Tim and Aubrey have a nice rapport, the driving force is Tim's real-time inner monologue, which we hear as he figures out the situation. It reveals his inner anxiety and evaluations, which often pull his attention away from what Aubrey is saying.

As actors, Duvendeck and Pozner have a believable rapport, both offering precise, understated performances that fit in with the low-key, relaxed visuals and amiable atmosphere of the film. Duvendeck particularly nails the anxiety and nervousness that dating engenders, and when Tim spots a throw pillow with a rather prurient motif on it -- and a similarly styled bathmat -- he gets flustered. He can't quite figure out what it means, and his nerves cause the rest of a promising date to derail, much to his disappointment.

Relatable, engaging and entertaining, the primary story of SECOND DATE is not quite between Tim and Aubrey, but between Tim and his mental chatter. Like many people's inner voices, our internal dialogues initially only seek to make sense and safety out of an uncertain situation. But it comes at the expense of being genuinely present and "in the moment" with the people in front of us, and we may miss the subtle signs of what they're communicating and really feeling. Luckily, Aubrey figures out a way to get through to Tim, and Tim finally learns to read Aubrey's intentions and desires -- without creating red flags where green lights exist.