My Dinner with Andre 1981

As Wally, a struggling playwright, reluctantly sits down for dinner with his old friend Andre, whose unconventional odyssey has taken him from the mystical realms of eastern spirituality to the farthest reaches of the Sahara desert, he can’t help but feel a sense of trepidation. For since their last meeting in 1975, Andre has abandoned his career as a theater director and embarked on an extended spiritual midlife crisis, marked by synchronicity, near-death experiences, and utopian communes.

As they settle into the ornate atmosphere of a Manhattan restaurant, Andre regales Wally with tales of his adventures, each more fantastical than the last. He recounts working alongside his mentor, the renowned director Jerzy Grotowski, in the Polish wilderness; trekking to the Sahara to bring Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince to life on stage; and even visiting the mystical community of Findhorn in Scotland. But perhaps most unsettling is Andre’s account of a Halloween-themed experience where participants were briefly buried alive.

Andre claims that these experiences were necessary for him to break free from his spiritual stagnation and reconnect with his humanity. However, Wally remains skeptical, arguing that such an existence is unattainable for most people. He finds solace in the simple pleasures of life, like a steaming cup of coffee or the comforting warmth of his new electric blanket.

Andre counters that becoming too complacent can be hazardous, and that the superficial normalcy of late 1970s New York is little more than a dreamworld masquerading as reality. While Wally agrees with Andre’s critiques of modern society, he takes issue with the more esoteric aspects of his friend’s stories, grounded as he is in rationality and scientific inquiry.

As the evening draws to a close, the friends depart the restaurant, each having shared their thoughts openly and felt heard by the other. With Andre footing the bill, Wally treats himself to a taxi ride home, noting a profound connection to the familiar landmarks that pass by his window. Upon arriving at his girlfriend’s doorstep, he regales her with tales of his dinner with Andre, still reeling from the lingering sense of wonder and unease that lingers long after the evening has ended.