The second season of Modern Love is the newest addition to our Amazon prime watchlist. For weekend watchers, who prefer a couch and a show, this is your ideal watch. As the trailer for this season promised, this show gives us a view of love from angles that usually go unnoticed. The theme that runs throughout the eight episodes is that love is a beautiful thing to experience.
“On a Serpentine Road, With The Top Down”, directed by John Carney, begins with Dr. Curran (Minnie Driver) trying to wrap up for the day at the clinic and go home to her family in her very old sports car. That car meant way more to her than she had expressed to anyone ever & the film tells us how one’s past may connect to the present and how important it is for our partner to accept both. With an aesthetically beautiful background score and gentle acting, this film will tug at your heartstrings.
“The Night Girl Finds a Day Boy”, directed by Jesse Perez, was different from anything I’ve watched till now. It gives the viewers a fairytale different from Cinderella, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, etc. While Jordan (Gbenga Akinnagbe) is a normal man with a normal routine, he happens to fall in love at first sight with Zoe (Zoe Chao), a “vampire” in her routine. Due to a circadian rhythm disorder, Zoe can only sleep in the day and her life begins at night which she conveniently uses as an excuse to feed her introverted self. As much as people seem to enjoy the early phase of their love, maintaining it requires them to compromise. It is not easy to believe in fairy tales, but this short film will make you root for the couple and believe in the wonderful, bizarre story. This episode communicates an amazing message: when people truly care about being by each other’s side, they will spend their overlapping hours together even if it is inconvenient & strange.
In a way “Strangers on a (Dublin) Train”, directed by John Carney, gracefully contradicts the name of the show. In the era of ‘Modern Love’, two people, Paula (Lucy Boynton) and Michael (Kit Harington) happen to have a meet-cute on a train from Galway to Dublin. They get to know each other on the train itself and while Paula, a medievalist, is someone who doesn’t like things to end, Michael, a ‘tech guy’, is more of a control freak. They part ways with no contact information whatsoever, hoping to meet at the exact same location two weeks from then. Although things do not go as planned, it is quite interesting to see the end of this episode. Even though the story initially seemed unrealistic and based on wishful thinking, it ended up being one of the most amazing watches. It highlights the fact that school romance is still alive and going strong.
“A Life Plan for Two, Followed by One”, directed by Martha Cunningham, is an empowering episode for teens which starts with Lil (Milan Ray) moving to Brooklyn from Ohio. She is fiercely vocal at her new school where she becomes friends with Vince (Isaac Powell), the school committee President. Having liked him for almost eight years, she never expressed her feelings because they were best friends. As they grow up, things get out of hand once and their friendship eventually ends. But what will happen when they meet again? As humans, we tend to expect love stories to have a certain type of happy ending, and having one presented in a very different way surprised me in a good way.
In this age of advanced technology “Am I…? Maybe This Quiz Game Will Tell Me”, directed by Celine Held and Logan George, is a perfect episode for the viewers. Katie (Lulu Wilson), a teenager, uses quizzes to determine her sexual orientation when she finds herself getting attracted to her schoolmate Alexa (Grace Edwards). As they bond over anime, Katie seems to be enjoying time with her new found crush but outside pressure makes her lie about it. This episode left me with question marks regarding GenZ and their technological dependence. It was a different story and is a great addition to the collection. Sometimes, quizzes and technology cannot answer everything, and one needs to follow their hearts and make a choice is the theme of this film.
“In the Waiting Room of Estranged Spouses”, directed by John Crowley, depicts how life can be heartwarming in its own unique way. When Isabelle (Anna Paquin) and Spence (Garrett Hedlund) find out that their partners are cheating on them with each other, they are devastated. After some days, the two scorned lovers meet at a therapist’s waiting room & find comfort in each other. This one melted my heart. In light of the common belief that divorce is the end, this short film gives that perspective a 180 degree turn.
“How Do You Remember Me?”, directed by Andrew Rannells, is an unusual story portraying how two people on dates see each other and interpret it differently too. Ben (Marquis Rodriguez) and Robbie (Zain Pais) go on a blind date arranged by mutual friends but a tragic news interrupts it. Out of all the short films in this anthology, this one was something that seemed incomplete.
The last episode of this collection is like a warm hot chocolate on a cold winter night. “Second Embrace, With Hearts and Eyes Open”, directed by John Carney, is about a divorced couple Elizabeth (Sophie Okonedo) and Van (Tobias Menzies) falling in love with each other all over again. This was a perfect closure to such a great series. It is a must watch for people who are navigating through love in their life and teaches us that sometimes love is about being vulnerable with each other.
For me, Modern Love was a truly delightful watch. In a generation of lust & cynicism, watching this collection of pure love across different domains of life was mesmerising. Although these short films do not show how each & every story ends, it seeks to give an insight into the sparks that make people fall in love.
Modern Love (Season 2) is now streaming on Amazon Prime.
