First Date (Short Film)
Written by Áine Ryan, Directed by Clara Planelles, Produced by Pete Moles
Funded by Engine Shorts
Awards
Best International Comedy Short Film Discover Film Awards, London 2022
Nominated for the Iris Prize, 2022
Honourable Mention at Gaze Film Festival, Dublin, 2022
Logline
A recently widowed farmer doesn’t want her daughter to move back to the city, leaving her alone. When a young man appears in a taxi for a date, she quickly intervenes.
Synopsis
Tina (62) is not dealing well with the loss of her wife. She’s not sure how to navigate life alone. This turns into a crisis when she discovers her daughter JACKIE (27) has invited city boy SEAMUS (29) for a date at their farm. As Seamus arrives to the farm entrance in a taxi driven by the bight and bubbly ELLIE (58), Tina lures him into the cattle trailer and locks it, abandoning him in a far-flung field. As Tina and Jackie sit down to the dinner prepared for the date, Tina is shaken when Ellie arrives back to the farm with a bottle of wine that Seamus left in her taxi. Scrambling for an excuse to explain Seamus’ disappearance to Ellie and Jackie, Tina breaks away to release Seamus from the trailer. She gets caught in the act when Jackie catches her waving an axe at Seamus. Realising what has happened, Jackie packs her bags and leaves the farm with Seamus and Ellie, disgusted by Tina’s behaviour. That night, as Tina despairs at her lonely fate, Ellie returns to the farm. The two women talk beside a bonfire and Ellie shares her own experience of loss and loneliness, as well as providing Tina with a token of forgiveness from Jackie. This gives Tina renewed hope for the days ahead, leading her to believe that perhaps she may not have to be alone after all.
Cast
Tina - Aisling O’Sullivan
Ellie - Carrie Crowley
Seamus - Daithí O’Donnell
Jackie - Johanna O’Brien
Writers’ Notes - First Date
“I have relished the opportunity to bring a slice of authentic Tipperary life to the screen. Tina’s story showcases many aspects of life in the county; agriculture, country life, and a fear of isolation. The rural context plays into our main character’s very being and informs in many ways how she behaves with themes of abandonment and a sense of ‘being left behind'. It’s also a story about friendship and how sharing our experiences of grief, love and loneliness can allow us to navigate our emotions together, and provide us the courage to conquer the many challenges we might face through our lives.
'Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine’ / ‘We live protected under each other's shadow’ - Irish Proverb.
I am excited to represent women on screen and First Date achieves this with three of our four characters being female. Coming from rural Tipperary, and growing up around a plethora of vibrant women, I have aimed to create characters in First Date that honour the unique voices of my community. I am sharing a story of the challenges a widow might face when grappling with grief and the consequences of that on the people around her including her daughter, her daughter’s date and a local taxi driver. Tina and Ellie are honest, moving, and funny characters in an age bracket that frequently gets sidelined to “bit” and supporting roles. In First Date, Tina and Ellie lead the story and demonstrate the validity of their stories and experiences, and our need as an audience to hear and see them.” Áine Ryan