A new documentary follows the lovelorn and lonely American men searching for love overseas in Eastern Europe.
Love Me is by filmmaker Jonathan Narducci, and tells the story of the suitors who use sites A Foreign Affair and Elena’s Models, and their journey to Ukraine to find beautiful mail-order brides.
The film explores a similar world to that which journalist Shaun Walker recently wrote about – however his investigation focussed on Anastasia Date, a site which Narducci called “a total scam operation, which I did not want to deal with” in an interview with Digital Journal.
He said he first thought of making the film 14 years ago, when he received a spam email from A Foreign Affair while at college.
The documentary took three years to complete, and debuts this month at the Toronto Hot Docs film festival.
Speaking about his film, Narducci said:
“I think this film highlights where our current dating culture stands: how it can be good for some and problematic for others. If a person is realistic, pragmatic and honest, then usually he or she will find success.
“However, online dating leaves so much to the mind, and it is our human nature to fill in blanks to fit each situation how we see fit. I would conclude that if you choose to online date, you must be careful to not create fantasies or become delusional about the situation.
“From the Eastern European female perspective, I think their actions are so brave and this is really highlighted in film. I think Love Me really shows the hyper-reality of the expectation, and hope that women have in the modern dating world.”
Watch the trailer below, and read the Digital Journal interview with Narducci here.