Those ubiquitous electronic devices monitoring our every move and desire, with recommendation engines provoking us to act now, be better and pounce on a trend provide an uncanny inspiration for a delightful new wish fulfillment movie that just world premiered at the Atlanta Film Festival. Writer/director Alexander Parkinson casts himself as a passive and principled sad sack in Third (B+), and his character’s loveless marriage to a much more successful wife (Coley Campany in a breakthrough performance) is transformed with the appearance of a handsome and exotic stranger (Norio Nishimura) into their sluggish, fuddy-duddy first-world lives. I was reminded more of vintage ‘80s comedies like Splash and Down and Out in Beverly Hills rather than on-the-nose recent fare such as Her or Companion as this central couple maneuvers through the modern mores of a potentially polyamorous lifestyle. It’s a fresh and sometimes dark domestic dramedy through and through. From opening shots of a bonus room between separate bedrooms to the newly constituted trio barreling through blow on the glass frame surfaces of a staid wedding portrait, the film escalates quickly into hardcore hilarity. Swirling conversations with lively neighbors asking all the prescient questions and cunning comedy of consequences ensue with abandon and truth. Vignettes of couples coping with contemporary issues interspersed throughout the film showcase the foibles of modernity like a series of Greek choruses. Nishimura brings just the right primal energy to the proceedings, and Campany is full-on hilarious in her array of reactions. Consistently funny and revealing details ranging from an AI chat to escape an awkward situation to giddy home deliveries courtesy of an instant access dark web give the events edge and urgency. The story may have one meta layer too many, but the overall effect is one of bountiful bliss. Parkinson’s feature is fun, insightful and — dare I say — just the sublime spark to stimulate the doldrums of domesticity.