Directed by Mariya Ranieli and Kevin Barba, from a script by Mariya Ranieli, ‘Outdates’ is a short film that is part of a wider comedy web-series. Based somewhat on true events, the Episode, titled ‘The Cough’, delves into a woman’s farcical romantic date. Mariya Ranieli stars as Britt, who finds herself in a quandary over her date’s unorthodox sexual fetish. Dan Levin co-stars as Tim – Britt’s eccentric, albeit charming encounter. Despite the episodes low-cost production value, which may detach viewer interest, the narrative is highly amusing with witty cast performances.
The 10-minute comedy film (Episode 2 of the ‘Outdates’ comedy series) opens with an endearing date between Britt and Tim. After the sudden death of her fiancé, Britt finds herself back in the dating scene – with rib-ticking outcomes. Despite Britt and Tim hitting things off swimmingly, Tim declares his peculiar sexual fetish – a woman’s cough. As Britt attempts to put his blemish behind her, their courtship hits breaking point when she is taken ill by a sinus infection. Viewers will be entertained by the comical absurdity and witty dialogue.
In spite of weak visual and audio quality, the film stands strong with its enthralling plotline that will guarantee a few belly-laughs. Mariya Ranieli delivers an agreeable performance, which is enough to maintain viewer engagement and to stick around for further instalments. The drawback is within the amateur-style technicality, which hopefully will be improved as the series continues.
