Title: Vigor
Director: Alexandre Davis
Starring: Paul Meyd, Alexis Ingram, Lola Valentina Gutierrez
Runtime: 11 mins

What It Is: A socially awkward man named Greg (Meyd) has a crush on a girl (Ingram) who works at the arcade, fantasizes about impressing her with his dance moves at a machine, and finally gathers up the courage to ask her on a date. Nervous about the date and consumed by his insecurities, he decides to try an in-real-life dating simulator that puts him to the test and attempts to prepare him for the real deal.

What We Think: This is something one would see on platforms such as Short of the Week or Omeleto! It’s bright, with many scenes lit with warm glowy neon, saturated colors, and framed with intention. Cinematography is crisp, with a sort of cleanness to it, lending a better spotlight to the performances in tow. The lead Meyd is the main focus and driver of the short, playing his character with an impressive and well-executed range of emotions, throughout his arc. My only critique is that I went into the short cold, and on my first watch it wasn’t entirely clear if the dating simulation scenes were fantasy or reality. That, and the ending was a tad vague, I wish we saw the rest of the character’s expressions in it.

Our Grade: B, An overall lovely and self-admittedly quirky short about the importance of authenticity and standing up for oneself and how it impacts our ability to navigate relationships.