It was Simon’s birthday on the 18th. Gina, for the last seven years, has been celebrating his birthday on the 19th and calls for a chat. On a late night call to her and drink in hand, they are chewing the fat and the thin. Gina is questioning, in her typical American style, covering all the who, what, why and when’s. Simon has moved to London for his partner. But she called out her ex’s name whilst in an intimate moment. But let’s move on Gina, it’s a simple mistake….
Gina is single. Her friend, Tiff has set her up on a date with an old-school Jewish New Yorker, it’s a big deal. Switching to facetime from her bath to his closet, Simon and Gina go on a long, whimsical conversation, from engaging the game No Bad Ideas, to defining the relationship status of Misty and Simon followed by that old favourite, what if?
‘What if I am your girlfriend, Simon. The only question is there some sort of physical attraction. Let me text you a cheeky picture. It’s not a big deal".
On The Line is thoughtful, provoking and at times uplifting and anxiety-inducing in equal measure and my favourite observation to note was that it is honest-to-god, excruciatingly painful. Just like real life. Definitely worth a solid 4 stars. This is one piece that should make the transfer from online to real time.
On the Line is streaming here.
Review: Kay Johal