25/03/2024 - Sparks fly between the virtual and the real in this romantic and sociological comedy from Norway, created by Jakob Rorvik

Isn’t reality a little overrated? Ida (Gina Bernhoft Gorvell) is enjoying a fulfilling relationship with Marvin (Jacques Colimon) despite the thousands of miles between them. Thanks to an online game and the interaction of their avatars in a virtual space, Ida and Marvin wake up side by side, kiss, touch, and even drink champagne together to celebrate their third anniversary. But Ida’s world crumbles when Marvin tells her that he’s met someone ‘IRL’ (meaning ‘in real life’, in the physical world). Guided by her anger and her group of virtual friends, the young woman throws herself into the all-too-real dating arena of Oslo to take her revenge on Marvin, and to prove to him that the virtual and the real are not, in fact, two separate worlds.

With its introverted protagonist and its rather sombre cinematography, the series Dates in Real Life (winner of the Best Series Award in the International Panorama section at Series Mania – read the news), created and directed by Jakob Rorvik, arrives rather unexpectedly. Yet as we all know, appearances can be deceiving. This theme is thoroughly explored in this new age romance, which uses the endlessly rehashed codes of the romcom to surprise us with our own prejudices. The structure is classical: Ida has just been dumped and throws herself into her search for love. We expect her to meet a series of wacky suitors, and that on top of finding her soulmate before the end of the show, she may just find herself, too. The direction is also rather straightforward, making sure most of all that the back and forth movements between virtual and real worlds remain clear. Where Dates in Real Life stands out is in its virtual starting point, with its protagonist discovering with great surprise the supposedly “normal” practices of IRL dating. 

The cycle of dates begins from the very first episode where, wrenched from Marvin’s tenderness at the beginning of the series and faced with the awkwardness of an anonymous encounter in a bar, we are seized by a strong desire. Like Ida, we dream of leaving to seek out comfort in the virtual world, which suddenly seems a lot more real than artificial. Casually and in passing, the show therefore delivers a short lesson in humility for those viewers inclined to consider all virtual exchanges to be social sub-interactions. In a few seconds, a stranger becomes familiar and social norms are revealed for the arbitrary rules that they are. But there isn’t much time to ponder on this, as humour quickly steps in: “How many dates have you been on?” Ida asks her first suitor. “This is my fiftieth, and you?” The tone is set, and our empathy for Ida is secured.

What follows is clever enough to avoid repetitions, all the while respecting the unmissable steps in the game of love and chance — both from the 21st century (swiping left, swiping right, writing a few lies on the apps) and those that are timeless (the fear of the first time, jealousy, the support of friends). More than simply a good idea, the confrontation between an asocial protagonist and the romance of the (so-called) real world here goes beyond the fish-out-of-water gimmick. Indeed, on top of the awakening of her senses and her gradual desire for romance, the heroine is also dealing with a broken heart. The script therefore sees Ida evolve through her encounters and, in doing so, our interest only grows, as does the emotional power of the series. Where this will all lead to remains to be seen. We cross our fingers and hope that, beyond its first three episodes, Dates in Real Life will maintain a tone more curious than it is moralising. 

Dates in Real Life was produced by Norway’s Maipo Film. Its broadcaster is NRK, while DYNAMIC TELEVISION is in charge of international sales.

(Translated from French)