Tinder's film ‘Closure' dwells on the importance of consent in modern dating

Tinder has launched a new film titled ‘Closure’ to navigate through the tricky terrains of consent in the world of modern dating. Conceptualised and produced in collaboration with Jugaad Motion Pictures, the story is based on the idea of understanding the nuances of consent and aims to spark open, honest and compassionate conversations around mutual respect.

This new film comes as an extension to Tinder’s ongoing initiative coupled with a resources centre www.letstalkconsent.com to encourage discourse on consent in partnership with Yuvaa and Pink Legal.

The film:

The film revolves around Ria and her now-estranged boyfriend Ved. A relationship that starts with a day out at the beach, and builds through a timeline of beautiful moments, only ends with them sitting across from each other for a conversation — now on opposite sides of things. Things that include their memories of what happened between them and what went wrong. Ria finally brings herself to confront him about what happened the night it all went wrong. “You didn’t say no,” is all Ved can offer. “But I also didn't say yes… I wish for once, you had asked,” Ria responds. The film also offers us glimpses of other relationships, navigating consent in a different way —where they make sure they’re both heard. In contrast, Ved’s misinterpretation of Ria’s silence as her consent altered the course of their relationship.

Taru Kapoor, GM, Tinder and Match Group, India, said, “We are on a mission to build a respectful member ecosystem, on and off the app. As a platform that is built on mutual consent, we understand the imminence of an enthusiastic ‘yes’ in relationships and intend to be a strong ally in promoting the need to have an open, honest and compassionate conversation. Building on the safety products and resources that are available on Tinder, this first-of-its-kind initiative aims to foster a safe dating culture for the community by encouraging communication that should take centre stage at the very beginning of and throughout any relationship.”

With popular culture in India blurring the lines on consent for generations, and a society that does not acknowledge the importance of discussing boundaries, modern dating is complex for young adults in the country. Tinder’s Future of Dating Report, released earlier this year, shows Tinder members used their bios to make their expectations clear: the word ‘boundaries’ was used more than ever (up 28%* year on year), and the term ‘consent’ rose 21%. These bio trends show how comfortable Gen Z is discussing consent transparently and openly.

This initiative is part of Tinder’s commitment to continuing to invest in safety and working in partnership with experts, part of Match Group’s previously announced $100 million investment in talent, product, technology, and moderation efforts related to trust and safety in 2021. Over the last two years, Tinder has rolled out an array of safety features investing in technology that reduces anonymity, increases accountability, and helps members stay safe with features such as block contacts, photo verification, consent 101 and face-to-face video chat. Recently, Tinder launched the Safety Centre for India that centralises dating safety tips within the app and offers resources in partnership with local NGOs relevant to the well-being of members.