As the founding member of Team Love Is Not a Lie here at Autostraddle dot com, I’m happy to tell you that non-binary icon / filmmaker / podcaster Carly Usdin has released a brand new ten-minute lesbian rom-com into the world, and it is the cutest dang thing I have seen in a long time! They wrote and directed the short film, First Date, for Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine MEET CUTE series, in partnership with Bumble and Baileys — and, frankly, you’ve never seen branded content integrated so slyly and gay-ly. As usual, Carly’s short films leave me wishing I was watching a feature film or binging a full season of their work on Netflix. I don’t know how they pack so many laughs, so much knowing, so many quotable one-liners, and such phenomenal chemistry into every single medium of storytelling they undertake, but I just feel lucky as heck to experience it.
First Date tells the story of Jennifer (Shalita Grant) and Anna (Shannon Woodward), a couple of queers who meet on Bumble and connect, even though they live a whole country apart. It also features your faves, Gaby Dunn and Brittani Nichols, as the best friends every gay needs to keep it real about your chances of getting catfished by a serial killer on a dating app. (And your other fave, Autostraddle’s “Who All’s Gay Here?” tee.)
Watch it now and swoon! It’ll make your day, I promise!
THANK YOU HEATHER I am going to ship you 100 bottles of Baileys now.
Yeah no this needs to be a proper two-hour movie, seriously.
Seconded
Well that was freakin adorable, and I’d like at LEAST a limited series of this pleaseandthankyou
I cracked up at this part: “I can’t, my ex will be there.” “You don’t even know where we’re going.” “Doesn’t matter, one of them will be there.”
This was so wonderful, Carly! It was also fun to see Shalita Grant in a queer role.
Ditto
Nicely done! Need more happy queer content in my life.
Ooh! Brittani Nichols! *swoon*
The rest was cool, too. :)
this made my whole week omg im a lifelong stan after Misdirection!
I really enjoyed it!
i just feel like the world would be better if at least 75% of the movies created had carly usdin behind them
I didn’t realize Shannon Woodward came out as queer but it makes the vibes I got from her in Raising Hope make so much more sense. This short was adorable.
I demand to see full natal charts, bc Jen obviously is Cancer rising and/or Moon, while Anna is fiery AF. (Maybe I can buy Jen as a Capricorn Sun if her Saturn is in Pisces and she has a night chart.)
Clearly great if I’m so invested astrologically!!