Miss Communication

Description

Nadine swipes right for a genuine man while applying fake lashes. Ignoring her sister, Abby, a phone call from their mother, and all of the real people in the coffee shop, Nadine finds Dave online and the two begin texting. Dave’s photoshopped profile animates as they text —charming and suave. Across the room, Bedhead Dave ogles InstaGlam Nadine on his screen, a caricature of sexy and alluring. Cutting back and forth we see them reading the same words but having different conversations — unaware they are sitting in the same room. Later, Nadine whinges to Abby about the resulting disaster date. Dave is a liar. A cheapskate, who didn\'t value her since because wouldn’t pay for champagne. Nadine stole Dave’s coat in retribution. Meanwhile, Dave calls an unknown party to tell his side of the story. Nadine was demanding; their date ruinous. He’s begging for extra hours to pay for a date far beyond his means. Over text, he demands Nadine return his jacket. The terse response: a time and place. There, he meets Abby, jacket in hand. She acknowledges the real Dave, helping him to feel known. They begin talking, forging a new relationship based on a real connection.

Biblical Connection

David sends messengers to Nabal requesting provision for his men. Nabal responds with insults, casting David as a rebel. Offended, David orders his soldiers to war. Abigail, Nabal\'s wife, steps into the middle, meeting David in-person, de-escalating the situation, and responding as Nabal should’ve from the start. In the end, Nabal dies, and David marries Abigail. While I think the primary thrust of the story is Abigail\'s character and wisdom, the messages gone awry is particularly apropos for modern life. Whether we think Nabal\'s \"who is this David?\" is genuine or merely an insult, it’s clear he didn\'t understand David’s position as God’s anointed future king. Similarly, David approached Nabal with an expectation which ran contrary to Nabal’s character. This misunderstanding nearly leads to war. It\'s the telephone game -- and illustrates the danger we face replacing face-to-face human interactions with texts devoid of tone of voice or body language. When you text me, I assume your body language, facial expression and intonation. The more of our relationship happens over text, the more you differ from the person I imagined, and I feel deceived. Miss Communication hopes to humorously show character and wisdom are superior to insta-filters and witty banter.