In the year 2020 an up-and-coming tech company, Tellr, is experimenting with a new device that allows those who use it the ability to speak to one another telepathically. Two individuals, Noah R. Gutman (Anthony Kapfer) and Erica Peters (Nina Tandilashvili) are asked to beta test this new device and are sent on a Mute Date where they are unable to physically speak to one another. As the two get to know one another and test the limits of their beta device their realities will be tested as well, making for a uniquely interesting date. While this device is sure to cause some distress, there is always room to grow from your hardships, and both Noah and Erica will soon learn this.
It’s quite clear that Mute Date is meant to have an underlying message that can entertain and teach viewers, but writer-director Cody Clarke fails to convey this information in a way that outshines the ridiculousness of the entire film. Kapfer and Tandilashvili are able to capture the awkwardness of a blind date (seemingly by accident) as they are unable to express emotion in an appropriate way. They seem dull and, in many ways, dead inside, as they attempt to express their displeasure with the new device, their interest in one another, and their personal experiences. Sadly, they appear almost completely emotionless
In its attempt to cast out racism, sexism, and the like, the instances in which these things occur are some of the most frustrating of Mute Date, numbing viewers to the impending message. Furthermore, given the fact that these occurrences are so absurd, it almost seems that these things are being promoted rather than condemned. Like these instances the entirety of Mute Date feels ridiculous, watering down what Clarke is attempting to relay to his audience.
I often ask myself why a film is relevant; what importance does this have in the real world? The answer to that question can often determine whether or not I appreciate a film and the work that has been put into it. When I reflect on Mute Date it seems to be clear that Clarke is attempting to be the conveyor of both what is wrong with the world and how to better it. Again, as the film plays out and every preposterous, idiotic gesture rises to the surface anything and everything that Clarke aims to do falls by the wayside and fails miserably.
With everything that goes wrong throughout Mute Date, viewers find very little to latch onto and appreciate about the film. Emotion is nearly nonexistent, the potential message drowns in that lack of emotion, racism and sexism actually sound like they are being encouraged, and the perpetually drab tone weighs down any potential that the film may have had at one point. Literally the only thing that viewers have to hang onto is the fact that Tandilashvili is attractive. She is the sole reason that viewers have to stick around and invest any of their time into Mute Date; while it is frustrating that the aesthetic of one of the actors is the only thing that attracts viewers, this is the reality. It can’t be said enough that Clarke’s vision is not translated well and loses nearly all meaning by the time it reaches its audience. Mute Date is ultimately a dud and fails to entertain.
Written & Directed by Cody Clarke.
Starring Anthony Kapfer, Nina Tandilashvili, Anna Fikhman, Sarah Teed, Jared Baum, etc.
⭐⭐½ /10
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