The Lunch Date

The Lunch Date is an interesting movie. A wealthy woman is looking for her train, but she misses it because she encounters trouble at the terminal. She eventually goes to the cafeteria to eat something. She orders salad and sits on a seat. She notices there are no forks, so she goes to get one. After returning to the seat, she finds a strange man eating her salad. She is angry with him, but he doesn't care. Eventually, she shares the salad with him. He buys her a cup of coffee, but she looks unhappy. After that, she goes out of the cafeteria and notices she forgets her bags. Returning to the cafeteria, she realizes a significant thing... This short film expresses a sense of discomfort, but it is also funny. This woman is arrogant and wealthy. She doesn't apologize anytime and is highly vigilant about everyone. She should receive her comeuppance, but she doesn't. It seemed unfair. On the other hand, there is a twist in this film, so I like it.

I absolutely love this film. It really points out stereotypes that we all hold. I spent considerable time trying to locate a copy of this outstanding film. I finally found it on a DVD collection entitled Cinema 16: American Short Films. It has been well worth the search and the cost. I use it in my classroom to prompt discussions about stereotypes. I have my students watch it first from the point of view of the main character, the woman who has missed her train. I have them record their thoughts and perceptions from her point of view. I stop the film as she leaves the diner to catch her train. This is when I have my students share their thoughts. I then have them finish watching the story. Are they ever surprised! After this, I have them watch it from the perspective of the man eating the salad. After sharing their thoughts from his point of view, we discuss stereotypes. My students really enjoy this outstanding short story. The message contained in this short film is incredible.

Adam Davidson's Academy Award-winning short is about a rich woman who misses a train and then has an awkward experience in an eatery. "The Lunch Date" isn't anything profound yet manages to be thought-provoking. It forces you to ask what you would do in this situation. Don't expect the short to result in a life-changing experience. As far as I can tell, it's about making you confront your privilege and prejudices.

Worth seeing.

"The Lunch Date" is a short film. An elderly woman walking fast at a terminal bumps into a black man, her belongings scattered on the floor. He tries to pick them up, but she refuses. When she reaches the platform, the train she was supposed to take has just left. When she turns back, she also notices that her handbag is missing. She kills time in a cafeteria and sits down to eat a salad. She notices that she has no cutlery, so she takes a fork from the counter. When she returns to her seat, she sees a black man eating the salad. I thought the film was satirising society at the time. This film implies the stereotype that people have.

This film is interesting, so I recommend it.

The story is, a woman who misses the train eats lunch in a cafe. She buys salad. And she gets up from her seat to go take a fork. When she returns, there is a man eating her salad. She is puzzled. But she is so irritated that her salad is being eaten that she begins to eat it with the man. Then the man looks somewhat happy and buys coffee for two. The woman says thank you, leaves the cafe, and goes to the station. However, when the woman realizes she has forgotten something, she returns. That's where she realizes the truth.

This film has very little dialogue. But I understand the story. It's an amusing experience when you're done looking at it.

So you should see it once.