97% (2013)

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

These days, you can find love anywhere—in a bar, up a mountain or sat alone on the toilet—thanks to your smartphone. This short film explores that idea: can a regular guy find his love match on a crowded commuter train? In 97%, Bert's alerted by his dating app to the fact that he has a— you guessed it—97% love match sat just meters away from him. The challenges for Bert, of course, is to find his potential life partner before the subway carriage reaches the end of the line. You'll have to watch to find out if he manages. It's certainly worth a lookIn the past two years 97% (the dutch submission for the Oscars 2014) has been selected for more than 70 international film festivals including Aspen Shortfest, Sapporo International Short Film Festival and the Asiana International Short Film Festival, winning numerous awards on it's way.

A man travelling home on the metro is suddenly alerted by the dating app on his phone that a 97% love match is within 25 meters. With the train moving quickly, and stops coming up, he tries to identify the person in the carriage based on her profile description and a shot of her smile (like anyone smiles on public transport though – not even in Holland).I am committed enough and old enough that I have never used online dating or any of the gamified dating apps which seem to be considered the norm now. I am very glad of this because my limited contact with them is through short films made by those that do use them – and the films rarely sing their praises. In this case we have a gently comedic tale that ultimately has the message that probably you should pull your head out of your app and look around you instead. Although the film is never hilarious, it is gently amusing to watch the man try to locate his electronic match, and the conclusion is quite touching as he fails to make a potential real connection. I also liked that the film ends with this dawning only being a temporary thing and, like any good gamer knows, he is off for his next fix.The film is nicely made across the public transport system. I read that they were not officially allowed to have more than seven people involved in the total shoot, however they just decided to buy all the extras day passes and tell them to lie. The risk pays off, and although not the most polished you'll see, it does capture the feeling of being in the subway. Not an amazing little film perhaps, but it takes a frequently made point (aren't dating apps crap?) and makes it engaging and amusing.