As the hugely successful and gleefully invasive Channel 4 series First Dates has exemplified, watching strangers flirt with one another makes for gruesomely entertaining viewing. While the format isn’t quite as rigid, nor the particpants quite as attention-craving, there’s a similar voyeuristic pleasure to be had in this Austrian-German documentary.
We follow three pilgrimages of sorts as unconnected singletons seek love around Europe. Firstly, we have Johanna, a German visual artist, who travels to Ireland for the annual matchmaking festival. Secondly, there’s Sarah from Austria, who hopes a Yoga retreat where couples are matched will leave her satisfied. Finally, we have Sampsa, who elects to take part in a strange dating agency/performance art/hipster nonsense collection of dates to move on from his divorce.
The three protagonists are all young, self-aware types who can articulate their needs and neuroses with skill, leaving director Lia Jaspers little need to expand upon their frequent bouts of soul-searching. Remarkably, they’re never annoying though, with each proving to be engaging throughout.
But, given the three-strand narrative and the sheer unpredictability of what each will find on their respective journeys, sustained interest is a near impossibility. Johanna’s initial journey to Ireland feels like the start to a charming romantic comedy (it’s actually not too far off 1997’s The Matchmaker, Janeane Garafalo’s failed attempt to play a lead), but it’s over too quickly and as she decides what to do with her future as an artist, the film drags somewhat. Sarah’s bizarre yogi matchmaking holiday is of intrigue, as members are thrown together to become couples, and her story continues to work as she gives her match a chance post-retreat.
The lone male Sampsa gets the short straw with his involvement in an increasingly grating faux-dating agency (ideas include “delinquent date” where rules must be broken and a blindfolded singles night) becoming more inexplicable by the second.
The film does raise some interesting points about what should and shouldn’t be important when looking for a potential match and whether the intimidating variety of choices actually means that handing over the decision-making process to a stranger can be beneficial. It also shows that the route to happiness is never as simple as Katherine Heigl makes it seem. But for a film about love and relationships, the film’s missing a key ingredient: heartache.
As intermittently entertaining and well-observed as it might be, there’s a sourness missing and, for anyone who’s ever dated, the lack of darkness makes it harder to fall for all of the light.
