A man tries to fulfill his date's fantasy. But it's more unusual than he expected.


VANILLA is used with permission from Chase Pearson. Learn more at   / chase_pears  .


Helen and Clark have been on a date, and they're having a great time. Awkward but attracted, they've come to the point where they're either going to part for the night or continue it more intimately.

Both seem keen to continue, and Helen is open about what she wants. She wants to play out a risque scenario in the bedroom, and she wants to be completely and emotionally immersed in it. Clark is up for anything, but he finds that fulfilling the role that Helen wants him to play is a lot harder, more complicated -- and way more unpredictable -- than he anticipated.

Directed and written with great elan by Chase Pearson, this short dating comedy feels much like a romantic comedy at first, with its moody cinematography and the scenario of two potential lovers deciding whether or not to continue their interlude together in more private quarters. But what emerges after this set-up has classic screwball energy, as anything in this scandalous situation that can go wrong really does go awry, building up into an increasingly hilarious and ingenious tangle that's hard for anyone to wiggle out of.

The story begins with an atmosphere of intimacy, with a city street at night and jazzy piano for the musical score. The potential couple is negotiating a key transition point: Are they going inside Helen's home together or parting for the night? Going inside, they even have a very grown-up conversation about their expectations and desires, with Helen laying out her wants in a direct, empowering way. Clark is a little wary, but he's into Helen, and game to try anything.

Thanks to the smart, engaging and sly storytelling, what's fascinating is how the story can go in any direction here: as viewers, we could be in for a very grown-up drama about power in the bedroom. The conversation, along with the shadowy lighting and slightly claustrophobic camerawork, lends an unpredictability and even edge of danger to the story. But what happens as Clark and Helen proceed with their little interlude becomes sneakily funny, especially as Helen keeps adding more details that seem weird the strange "safe word," for instance, or the pair of underwear she asks Clark to wear.

Actors Melanie Rains and Aaron Latta-Morrissette are both excellent, attuned to the emotional reality of the situation and never overplaying the humor, even as the scenario becomes ever more complicated in ways that are equal parts logical, unpredictable and deeply funny. The storytelling lays out an increasingly complex knot of circumstances that the pair must find their way out of -- and their increasingly frantic efforts lead to one great reveal after another.

Engaging, fun and very well-written, VANILLA works because it takes what seems like a fairly straightforward situation and reveals that its underbelly is odder than it seems, thanks especially to the vagaries and impulses of courting, dating and mating. Human sexuality has always been complicated, but what's funny is how people are willing to go to any lengths to get satisfaction. VANILLA takes the directive of "spicing things up" and runs with it -- to the point of screaming and running off into the night.