'Searchers': Finding Love 6 Feet Apart
Dating is challenging enough, add a pandemic into the mix and it’s nearly impossible.
The Sundance film Searchers is set in New York City during in the middle of the Corona Virus pandemic. The film has a unique interview style format. Many random people are interviewed and then the film moves to the next person, never circling back to past characters. This style of film forces the viewer to create their own connection between all the stories, something a filmmaker often does for us.
The director, Pacho Velez, interviews people about their online dating experience in the city. He asks everyone what they are looking for romantically and what their challenges and successes have been in finding that.
Each character gets about 5 minutes of screen time. The film has a lot of raw footage and is very slow paced. If you’re looking for an action packed movie night, this is not for you. But if you’re looking to understand the inherent human longing to be loved, then this film will offer you a unique perspective.
Many people are searching for an authentic connection with a romantic partner. The film shows us that this is uniquely difficult to do through online dating, and even harder to do without online dating because despite how much most of the characters hate online dating, they are all still doing it. The film shows how much people crave connection and companionship, and the ways Covid has blocked that need in ways we often don’t think about.
The separation between screens already makes it hard to get to know someone. But not being able to physically meet up due to lock downs and health department recommendations is another level of difficult. Meeting up with people safely hasn’t really been an option for single people this year, and everyone interviewed in the film agreed the only way to find that authentic connection is by meeting up in person due to the way it is so easy to be fake online.
My favorite part of the film was how inclusive It was. It interviews people of all different genders and sexualities, therefore normalizing different kinds of relationships. This made me very happy to see as a member of Teen Council. It is rare to see an equal mix of heterosexual and non heterosexual relationships portrayed. The film also included a range on non monogamous relationships which was nice to see displayed. It included people of all ages, from early 20’s to late 70’s. Every person interviewed was looking for someone physically different, but emotionally most people wanted someone kind, funny, and interesting to be with.
By watching Searchers I was able to get an accurate understanding of the online dating scene in NYC because it does an amazing job of including every kind of voice. This film is a beautiful compilation of stories never told as well as a gateway into understanding human connection and love.
- Written by Julia Henry
