The first date with an online girlfriend or boyfriend can be challenging is the least we can say. No one can tell the direction in which the first meeting will go. People are unique in their own ways and so are their expectations but what happens in Emily Wilson’s written, directed, and edited “Danny’s Girl” offers a whole new look at what the twenty-first century looks lightly at.
Danny (Danny Dikel) is anxiously waiting for a date with his online girlfriend, Cleo (Remy Bennett). He is already nervous enough to not be able to handle his emotions properly. And when she finally shows up right in front of his car, he is too careful to not mess things up. But when he’s left alone with Cleo’s precious box filled with peculiar content, he does the unthinkable that will trigger a chain of events he never imagined would ever happen to him.
An excellent short film that’s about to celebrate its World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, it’s almost a mix of horror and comedy at the same time. Both Danny Dikel and Remy Bennett deliver solid performances as two individuals who try to impress each other. But once Remy Bennett’s Cleo learns about Danny’s discovery of her hidden package in the box and its subsequent destruction by him accidentally, things go awry. That scene alone is so deliciously funny I am quite certain even you would not want to miss it.
In the end, “Danny’s Girl” is a well-shot short feature by Emily Wilson. Despite it bearing the tag of the horror genre, Wilson’s piece is well-qualified to be labeled a comedy as well due to the circumstances being showed in the film. From start to end, in the entirety of the thirteen minutes of running time, “Danny’s Girl” never misses its aim and continues unfolding the story in a well-structured manner which is what we sometimes need from a full-feature film but we don’t get.
As for the concept of the film, even though online dating websites are one of the most-visited nowadays where people can find their significant others, we still have to be careful who we let into our lives; and when we do, we better be prepared to ask questions the answers to which can blow any mind away. Trust me on that, you don’t want to end up where Danny will because where he finds satisfaction might disappoint many others. However, that’s the peculiarity of “Danny’s Girl” I personally enjoyed the most.