SYNOPSIS
You, Me & Karen is a futuristic film that tells the story of a young woman, Iris, as she navigates modern dating life. Set in an unspecified but recognisable future, the dating lives of young singles are controlled by KAREN, a speaking app. KAREN is an advanced personalised dating assistant who, through online data, can direct users to suitable matches in their physical space. She claims she can help avoid personality clashes and awkward small talk – basically, KAREN will do all the hard work of dating research for you.
Part satire, part romance and part technological dystopia, You, Me & Karen takes place over one night, as Iris encounters a young man who remains one of the few non-Karen users. Their encounter forces her to question whether or not data and statistics can truly lead to love, or least a good date for the night. An extension of the current age of Tinder dating, the film explores loneliness and the search for human connection in a constantly connected world. Can the addiction to having an abundant stream of choices blind us to actual authenticity when it is sitting right in front of us?
Film Festival Awards
You, Me & Karen received the Channel 9 Award for Excellence in Screenwriting at the WA Screen Academy Awards in September 2017. Following that You, Me & Karen was nominated for four awards at the Fringe World Next Gen Film Festival. Those nominations were for Best Direction, Best Sound Design, Best Production Design and Best Film. We were happy to receive the awards for Best Production Design and Best Film. Following that You, Me & Karen was nominated for Best Actor - Male and Best Production Design at the WA Unlocked Film Festival.
In May 2018, You, Me & Karen was screened as part of the monthly Australian Revelations screenings, which are run by the Perth Revelation Film Festival. On top of this You, Me & Karen screened at CinefestOz as part of the Filmmakers of the Future sidebar event and we also received an award for best film at the World Student Awards.