Broaching the possibility of a romantic relationship is terrifying…for me. It always has been. The reward of being in a relationship pales in comparison to the abject humiliation of rejection. Matthew Weinstein’s short film, A Missed Connection, is the story of one such couple reconnecting on one fateful night.
Jake (Tyler Pistorious) is having a bad day after running across the street, his briefcase opens, and the papers inside fall to the wet, snowy city pavement. After collecting his things and feeling like a loser, he makes it to his usual coffee shop and notices a woman had left her cellphone behind. Jake calls the woman leaving the store, and by random luck, it’s Lauren (Kimberly Michelle Vaughn), an old friend from college.
“…maybe Jake and Lauren were once interested in one another…”
The two were good friends, and they decide to chat over a cup of coffee. As the short film plays out, we find that maybe Jake and Lauren were once interested in one another, but neither took the initiative (mostly Jake) to act upon that impulse.
If you’ve ever been in that situation, A Missed Connection effectively conjures up feelings of what might have been if you had just taken the risk. It also ends with the possibilities of a second chance, but will choices from the past continue to haunt our potential lovers. Conjuring emotions is a powerful tool given to filmmakers, and Matthew Weinstein makes the most of it.
I honestly did not feel much chemistry between the characters of Jake and Lauren. Honestly, though, this could have been intentional as Jake became hardened emotionally after letting his love get away. But it’s Weinstein’s story that will connect with you, which is a testament to his storytelling and may in fact remind you of your own missed connections.
"…effectively conjures up feelings of what might have been..."
