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20 Strangers Kissing for the First Time Is Strangely Sweet

Video/Slideshow link:

http://mashable.com/2014/03/11/strangers-kiss/

First kisses are awkward. And scary. And uncomfortable. And if you're lucky, it can be romantic enough to make your knees wobble.

Los Angeles-based filmmaker Tatia PIlieva, along with Wren Studio, managed to capture those heart-stopping and breathtaking moments by asking 20 strangers to kiss for the first time on camera. The result is a candid look at love, romance and chemistry.

The first few moments feel awkward, as they make small talk: "What's your name again?" "Can we turn off the lights?" "You have nice eyes." "It's actually pretty scary." But then, like longtime lovers, each pair goes in for the kill — and somehow, everything works out. Actually, it's pretty sweet.
The video accrued almost 2.5 million views in one day, sending it to the front page of Reddit.
UPDATE, March 11, 3:46 p.m. The video is reportedly an ad for the Fall 2014 collection for Wren Studios. Slate discovered that the strangers who appear in the clip are professional actors, models and musicians from the area:

The cast includes models Natalia Bonifacci, Ingrid Schram, and Langley Fox (daughter of actress Mariel Hemingway and sister of model Dree); musicians Z Berg of The Like, Damian Kulash of OK Go, Justin Kennedy of Army Navy, singer Nicole Simone, and singer-actress Soko (who also performed the melancholy indie music that accompanies the short); and actors Karim Saleh, Matthew Carey, Jill Larson, Corby Griesenbeck, Elisabetta Tedla, Luke Cook, and Marianna Palka.

So while the 20 individuals may still be strangers, it does remove some of the ad's authenticity and magic when realizing everyone was paid to create on-screen chemistry.

BONUS: The 25 Most Breathtaking Kisses of 2013