This week we’re switching it up a little bit and adding a short film to our Review Stew. I was scrolling through Kanopy and realized they have quite the offering of short films. This just further proves that having fun isn’t hard, when you’ve got a library card! So let’s dive right in and take a look at…97% (2013).
Title: 97%
Director: Ben Brand
Released: November 1, 2013 (Netherlands)
Runtime: 8 minutes
Available to stream on: Kanopy and Youtube
A man (Bert Hana) boards a train and takes his seat. Suddenly, he gets an alert on his phone from a dating app informing him he has a 97% match that is less than 25 meters away.
Seeing as he’s on a moving train, the match must be on the train with him. He begins scanning the fellow passengers on his car, trying to see if the smile in the app can be found in the sea of faces. When the train comes to a stop, the app informs him that the match is getting further and further away.
He runs off the train, changing directions as quickly as the app updates his distance from the 97% match. Finding himself on the train again, the app says the match is less than 25 meters away.
Surely he’ll be able to find who it is on his second attempt, right?
Over the course of 97% (2013), the only dialogue we hear is the announcements of the upcoming stops on the train. I am always impressed, regardless of the runtime, when a film can keep the viewer engaged while not having a character ever utter a single word.
Bert Hana is able to convey the excitement of a dating match and the ensuing panic/struggle of trying to find her solely through his movements and facial expressions.
What was equally as impressive as Hana’s performance is the cinematography. The use of reflections and imagery to playfully reveal flirtations really added to the overall charm of the short.
To wrap it all up, the 8-minute short delivers an ending that, depending on what you were hoping for may be divisive. Personally, I didn’t find issue with it and liked how it sort of called out online dating as a never-ending rat race in pursuit of perfection.
If your library offers the Kanopy streaming service, 97% (2013) is definitely a short film worth checking out. If you don’t have access to Kanopy, seek it out on Youtube. There are far worse ways to spend 8 minutes of your day.
Well, now it’s your turn.
Have you seen 97% (2013)?
If so, leave a comment below or reach out to me on Bluesky and tell me what you thought of it!
As always, if you want to see what else I’ve been watching lately, give me a follow over on Letterboxd.