Making a documentary of your first Tinder date with someone sounds like most people's worst nightmare, but that exactly what Londoners Andy Leek and Daniela Sea did with "Two sides of a Tinder date." They each recorded the evening and spliced it into one 25-minute documentary, and if you like first date stories, it's worth a watch.
With over seven million monthly users on Tinder going on god knows how many dates, it's something that's happening all the time. So many of us know the emotional roller coaster of an online date — it's not just the date itself, there's the getting ready (which in my case normally involves dry shampoo and leggings, but most people are far more considerate), finding the damn place, worrying whether or not there's going to be a table, worrying if you'll recognize them, deciding if you like them, deciding if they like you, wondering how long you have to stay to be polite, and what to do after. And that's if it all goes relatively smoothly.
And although you may get a rundown from your friends on how their dates you go, or eavesdrop on a what is clearly a terrible first date in the same bar as you, you never really get a fly-on-the-wall view of what it looks like for another person. That's exactly what this documentary aimed to do, give you a real insight into a first Tinder date. Unsurprisingly, some awkwardness, ambivalence, and hurt feelings ensue. You can find the whole video here:
Here are some of my favorite moments:
1. The Tinder Messaging
You can tell it's a real Tinder exchange by the slightly inappropriate messages with nothing but an emoticon reply.
2. First Date Expectations
She talks about how she sometimes imagine things going but, thankfully, realizes imaging a wedding on the first date is a bit far.
3. Reality Hits
The interesting part of showing them getting ready and heading to the dates, is the little-talked-about impending terror of realizing everywhere in the area you're trying to go is rammed with people and you're never going to find an OK place to sit. What do you do? Perch awkwardly? Find a new place? Just run away and never text them again? As someone who has tried to go on first dates in this trendy Old Street/Hoxton area of London, I can confirm it's an absolute nightmare.
4. Nerves
As he talks about what he's trying to get out of it, he's also wondering what she is: "What is she expecting from this? Is it an art project?... What am I looking for? I don't even know." And of course the tension of one of you arriving first. "She'll be 20 minutes late overall, not that I"m counting..."
5. Realization
Ouch. She's talking about how he apparently looks just like one of her gay friends, but in any case, it's a tough pill to swallow. And with lots of talk throughout the night about looks, you start to hope he has a thick skin. You know that horrible feeling when you can tell one person is more into it than the other? That. There's a lot of that.
6. He's On A Mission
He's going to kiss her. He says he's going to kiss her and film it. Dear god, I fear for him.
7. The Kiss
There he goes in for the kill. He's trying, and just when you're sure he's doomed to fail...
Hot damn! They are full-on making out.
8. Truth
She is all of us, wondering all of the things. Through the night she goes from he's not handsome enough to he's kind to he's too weird to worrying about looking "slutty" if she hooks up with him, but she wants to do it and doesn't really give AF. She is everyone.
9. The Next Morning
Whoop! They had a great time and she is looking at all of his things like a creeper. I told you she is all of us.
10. One Month Later
When they meet up to talk about the project, he explains "it was really tough to hear" some of her comments about him. But apparently they've seen each other on and off since! And while there's a little bit of fear about the comments they might get — he says she's braver for doing this — it was worth it.
Images: Andy/Vimeo
