Hyper-fixated on the many flaws in front of her, Maddy fails to recognise that her dissatisfaction might stem from something deeply rooted within herself. Projecting her avoidance onto her dates, the film’s reality becomes increasingly distorted, with the consumption of food leaving the confines of the table in a euphorically destructive climax. Can she break free of a self-made game she’s doomed to lose?Small Plates is a comedy drama that toys with both rom-com tropes and surreal elements to viscerally tap into the experience of sharing food with someone for the first time…whilst trying to maintain attraction to them.

We wanted to create something that utilised food to capture the heights and troughs of the full emotional spectrum, whilst maintaining a strong comic beat. The tumultuous landscape of modern dating — where some nights are total non-starters and others have the potential to be everything — set against the ever-trendy, decadent but restrictive London small plates scene, seemed the perfect love match to tell a story of desire, appetite, and the seemingly never-ending search for (self) love. When the two of us initially collaborated, we became obsessed with brainstorming how to create the most immersive journey into the chaos, claustrophobia, and hope that dating offers.