(15 min) On a seemingly ordinary first date, Jim and Erin find themselves at Cafe d'Automatique, a quirky and mysterious French cafe. Both eager to make a good impression, they engage in the usual dance of first-date banter, each carefully curating their personas, they soon find that something peculiar is happening. The cafe, under the watchful eye of a snobby French waiter, has a mind of its own, auto-correcting every lie they tell into unintelligible and offensive gibberish.
As their attempts to impress each other devolve into a chaotic exchange of bizarre phrases and accidental insults, the couple becomes increasingly frustrated. The snobby waiter suggesting that perhaps honesty might be the best policy. Reluctantly, Jim and Erin start speaking the truth, shedding their pretenses and revealing who they really are. To their surprise, they discover that honesty, though challenging, is the only way to truly connect—and maybe fall in love.
Café d'Automatique is a witty exploration of the absurdity of modern dating, where honesty is not just the best policy—it’s the only way to survive dinner.