Khani Le and Matt Robertson chronicle their unusual trip to Costa Rica in “Longest Third Date.”
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“When you’re stuck together there’s not much else to do but drink and f–k,” says Khani Le in the documentary Longest Third Date.
Le and Matt Robinson had no idea of the adventure they were in for, when, on a whim, they decided to jet off to Costa Rica together.
The couple, who matched on a dating app, barely knew each other when they decided to throw caution to the wind and take what was supposed to be a quick five day trip together.
But, COVID changed everything, turning their spur-of-the-moment jaunt into a months-long journey. One that was both physically and emotionally taxing.
What transpired between the two was all caught on camera, thanks to Le and Robertson, who documented all of the ups and downs as they navigated their unique situation.
On March 17, 2020, despite some concern from friends about moving too fast in their relationship, and warnings about the newly discovered coronavirus, the pair boarded a nearly empty flight out of New York and began their vacation.
After enjoying three days at an all-inclusive resort ziplining and consuming cocktails, they learned that their flights back to the U.S. had been canceled — indefinitely.
They ended up spending 79 days navigating not only their new relationship, but also their living situation as the resort closed down and Le and Robertson were forced to move reside in a series of Airbnb locations, including an open-air treehouse.
But, as Le expressed, a combination of boredom and handling all the drama brought the two together in many ways, including physically.
Which led to another scare when Le suspected she might be pregnant, complicating their situation even further, as did a serious accident in with their rental car ran off the road and into a lagoon.
At that point, Le says in the documentary, “I was like, ‘we have to get back home. It’s not fun anymore.’”
At a scant 80 minutes, the film obviously doesn’t document every minute of the months Le and Robertson spent together, but it covers enough to understand how they communicated and takes an intimate look into a relationship that was unintentionally put on fast-forward.
Finally, the duo made it home later via a government-sponsored flight to Houston. From Texas, they were able to get a flight back to NYC and resume their lives.
The documentary is also a fine study in taking chances and realizing that many things, including if you fall in love, and if you don’t, are out of your hands.
Did their extremely extended third date lead to a continuing relationship? Well, no spoilers here. Just watch the film. There will most likely never, ever be another date like this one and it’s fun to go along on this journey.
‘Longest Third Date’
Genre: Documentary
Watch it on: Netflix
Run time: 1 hour and 20 minutes
Features: Khani Le and Matt Robertson
Directed by Brent Hodge