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Alexandra London-Thompson (upper left) and Jonathan Reason (upper right) co-star with Deborah Jeffrey (lower left) and Matthew Worthington (lower right) in Encounters.
Although I was kind of expecting the film to be a little more light hearted, Encounters proved to be an interesting, if sometimes strange, drama about a collection of singles who meet via a night of speed dating in London.
The film starts off simple enough. Simon prepares a night of “speed dating”, where men and women spend three minutes with one another before changing partners, and the cycle repeats itself. But his first-time effort gets off to a rocky start when only three men show up, and six women. Afterwards, several of the men and women pair up in mismatched ways that have happy, and not so happy, resolutions.
All of the characters in Encounters are quick to understand in the first moments you meet them. John, played perfectly by Jonathan Reason, is sheepish and clearly rather old to be speed dating. Jenna Shaw’s Sue is lonely and looking for love, while Matthew Worthington’s Mateuz is a foreigner looking for a quickie marriage so he can stay in England. Patrick Thornton is the creepy Peter, who attends the speed dating largely to freak out the women.
The story, however, largely follows John through his relationship with Jacynthe, played by Alexandra London-Thompson. Although their motivations are clearly at odds, since Jacynthe is looking for a good time, while John is seeking a wife to fill up his isolated life. John is ultimately the character I felt for the most, not only because he was lonely, but because he was ultimately chasing after something he clearly wasn’t going to get. Sue gets tangled up with Mateuz, who reveals he is simply looking for a woman willing to marry him so he can become a citizen. This throws her into turmoil, not just because she’s shocked, but also because she’s actually considering it. Then there’s Simon, the man who organized the speed dating event, who becomes involved with one of its attendees, Carol (Hannah Smith).
Encounters’ strangest character is Peter, who pops up occasionally throughout the film. He ultimately hooks up with Ruth (Deborah Jeffrey), who’s willing to go along with his oddball behavior. Or, is she?
Although I think I could have used a little more levity, Encounters was surprisingly entertaining and emotional. The performances were terrific, with a relaxed realism that made the film all the more dramatic. I also think it would be easy for most people to find a connection to one or more of the characters as they struggle to find companionship and romance in this cold modern world.
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