A few years ago, my friend’s dad visited the city and took us to a comedy show. While waiting in the lobby, I locked eyes with -let’s call him Frank- a guy I had hooked up with a month earlier.

Did I expect to see him again? Absolutely not. But fate had other plans.

The usher seated him next to our table, and the comedians spent the night riffing on dating horror stories. I could feel Frank’s eyes burning into the side of my face.

After the show, as we shuffled out of the theatre, Frank shoulder-checked me as he and his friends passed us. Normally, I would have let him have it, but to avoid questions from my friend’s dad, I let it go.

Days of simmering anger followed, until I began to wonder—did he see things differently?

That question led me to write this short film - two strangers, bound by a one-night stand, forced to come back together to overcome a real-life stressor. And unlike Frank and I, Jason and Lia don’t get to avoid one another.

Exploring hookup culture and stressors through this story was so intriguing, I didn’t want it to end with my script.

So enter Janae Price, our charismatic host, tackling the modern dating divide with experts and everyday people alike. Maybe I’ll finally learn why Frank shoulder-checked me. Or maybe we’ll crack the code on dating!

But let’s be real— as an indie filmmaker, this is part of my not-so-subtle marketing ploy to get our project funded.