Great Dane
2017 · 10m · UK
Directed by James Webber
On a strange afternoon in a London park, two disparate souls strike up an unlikely flirtation — only neither one is quite who they claim to be. A rom-com built on mutual fakery, where every confession reshuffles the deck.
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
Rom-com built on mutual fakery should be a gimmick, but Webber refuses the easy confession—he keeps both characters performing right through the fade, which means the audience never gets the cathartic reveal it's been trained to expect, and that's exactly why it works.
The film understands its debt to the British romantic comedy tradition while interrogating it; the London park setting and light banter recall Ealing sensibilities, but the structural choice to deny resolution situates it in a more contemporary, formally restless lineage.
The genius is in how Webber times the micro-performances—watch how each confession lands with a tiny beat of hesitation, a flicker of whether this is the real thing or another layer—and that consistent choice of restraint makes a 9-minute meet-cute feel like a complete emotional negotiation.
Reviews
A Rom-Com About Faking It
Festivals
- Crystal Palace International Film Festival 2017
- British Shorts Berlin 2018
- Crossroads Film Festival 2018
- Sunderland Short Film Festival 2018
- Athens International Film & Video Festival 2018
- The Shortest Nights 2018
- Fabulosis Films Night 2018