As a longtime devotee of the indie film world, it's no secret that on most days I'd much rather sit down with a low-budget indie than anything you can find at your nearest multiplex. While I wouldn't call Stanley Wong's Future Date a flawless film, it's a relentlessly charming and thoughtful film and the kind of film I'd much rather give my time than any of the drivel one often finds somehow ending up on the big screen. 

Recently picked up by indie distributor Indie Rights, Future Date won the Audience Award at both Cinequest and the Asian American International Film Festival. The sci-fi/romantic comedy explores themes of connection and isolation in a post-apocalyptic future. It's an ambitious film that works largely on the strength of the script co-written by Wong with Patrick T. Dorsey and the marvelous chemistry, probably a 100, between Wong and co-star Shuang Hu. 

Future Date is set in the distant future. The outside climate has become toxic to the point that humanity is forced to spend their lives alone in tiny rooms. However, a very special contest offers two people the rarest of opportunities - to go out on a very unusual date in person. 

The two "winners" are Ry (Wong) and Ria (Hu). Ry is a hilariously socially awkward young man obsessed with finding love. His obsession backfires, of course, and he typically scares off anyone who might be interested. Ria, on the other hand, is a work-obsessed woman looking to break out of her own personal sense of being stuck. 

It's nearly impossible to watch Future Date and not think about those challenging days during the peak of COVID-19 isolation when we thought to ourselves "Will this ever end?" What if it hadn't? 

Future Date is a charmer of a film. It's a film both funny and sincere with both Wong and Hu absolutely shining as a "couple" tasked with meeting a compatibility benchmark in order for them to reach this goal of a different life. Future Date in many ways plays things realistically, hopeful yet honest and sincere without being unrealistically so. The film pointedly and yet with much heart explores the idea of human connection in a world that is practically defined by distance. While I'm not quite convinced that Wong was able to wring every ounce of potential out of this impressive script, Future Date is an impressive effort from its ensemble cast to the surprisingly effective special effects. 

In addition to fine turns from Wong and Hu, Johnny Pemberton impresses as contest organizer Dallas. Robert Mai's original score for the film complements it quite nicely and Nathaniel Elegino's lensing is impressive and creative throughout. 

Future Date is available via your usual streaming platforms and definitely is worth a watch.

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic