Five First Dates movie review: A simple yet warm hat tip to the Before trilogy

Employing an episodic plot structure, the film begins by depicting Shalini in college, embarking on a date with a young man. Despite his regressive behaviour and offensive remarks that reveal his misogynistic and queerphobic views, Shalini, still in her “ideal girl” phase, remains somewhat naive. Even in the face of these remarks, she rarely confronts him and continues with the date. By skillfully setting a significant portion of this encounter in a park, Rinoshun also underscores the immaturity in Shalini’s thoughts and the overall nature of the date.

On the contrary, her second date takes place in a parked car when she is older. During this segment, it becomes apparent that Shalini has gradually evolved and is almost the opposite of the person she was in college. Now, she smokes, emphasising that it is not an empowerment act but a personal preference. Shalini asserts that she smokes because she enjoys it, requiring no further explanation, thereby highlighting her enhanced understanding of gender politics. Although the man in this scenario appears more progressive than the first, making nonsensical statements like “the purpose of life is to procreate,” Shalini doesn’t hesitate to correct him with logical facts, a departure from her former self.

Her third date, on the other hand, is far more mature, taking place with a budding filmmaker inside his flat. They engage in conversations about a variety of topics, spanning books, films, philosophies, and life. While they generally share a similar perspective on life, particularly regarding marriage – both stressing that it’s not a priority – they also acknowledge and discuss their differences in a mature manner. Towards the conclusion, she even expresses the possibility of envisioning herself marrying him if necessary, highlighting the warmth she experienced in the company of such a sensible person.

Moving on to the fourth date, arranged by her family with a potential groom, it begins with her frustration over his tardiness. She explicitly states at the outset that she only agreed due to her mother’s insistence and plans to leave once they conclude the meeting. However, as the conversation unfolds, she finds him intriguing. Despite being quite different from her in nature, he avoids condescension or displaying a man-child attitude. When she asks how he would react if she discovers one day that she is interested in women, he responds supportively, encouraging her to explore her actual sexual orientation by going on a date with a woman. For an older Shalini, who has likely weathered life’s challenges and is no longer the completely rebellious person she once was, this date leaves a lasting impression. Towards the end of the episode, she even reflects on the entire date during the journey home, a rare occurrence in the film up to that point.

In the last episode, Shalini is depicted on a trekking date with a schoolteacher, Afreen (Pooja Sreenan), after discovering that she is bisexual. As they explore a forest together, Afreen reveals to Shalini that trees too communicate when we focus our ears on their trunks, emphasising that she is learning more new things in this relationship. Shalini appears to be at her happiest, relishing every moment of the date. Despite fatigue from walking, she persists, choosing to be with Afreen in the present. The film concludes with the two sharing a kiss atop a hillock, where Shalini, once comfortable with PDA, now shivers as their lips meet, highlighting the excitement Afreen brings. While all the other dates are set at night, the one with Afreen occurs during the day, with the sun shining above, symbolising how this relationship has illuminated Shalini’s life.

A hat tip to Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy, starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, Five First Dates even features a poster of Before Sunset on the wall in the filmmaker’s flat during the third date. An interesting film adeptly exploring the life of a bisexual woman and the evolution of her ideologies and mindset, Five First Dates ensures that the dialogues feel natural and not forced onto the characters.

Since the dates progress at a real-time pace, Rinoshun allows the actors to carry forward the moments without unnecessary interruptions. This approach extends to the inclusion of mispronunciations in the dialogues, permitting characters to correct themselves and proceed, adding an additional layer of charm to the movie.

On the performance front, Noila Francy shines exceptionally as Shalini, brilliantly capturing and bringing forth the different shades and ethos of the character at various junctures in her life. Noila even adds additional layers to the character at different points, emphasising Shalini’s growth and realisation, processing more things.

However, Five First Dates falls short on the technical side, as the film rarely explores anything visually beyond the characters, in contrast to the Before trilogy. While the limited budget may have constrained additional visual elements, better planning on Rinoshun’s part, considering his roles as cinematographer and editor, could have enhanced the film’s visual language. Simultaneously, the use of music and song placement proves to be a detractor, discordant with the film’s intended tone.