Maya (Margaret Qualley) is a dedicated nurse who has never thought about much beyond her career. When she meets Charlie (Gabriel Basso), she is swept off her feet into a whirlwind romance. But then heartbreak hits and Maya’s life comes crashing down around her. She flees her home and cuts contact with her friends and family to travel the world and avoid what she left behind. She soon discovers that she can only outrun her past for so long.
The only thing I knew about this film going into it was that it was going to be sad. I had no clue just what I was getting myself into. The whole way through I was on the verge of tears. Just when I thought I knew what was going to happen, something came along and completely changed its trajectory. I’ll admit I almost switched it off at the beginning because of the big ‘reveal’, but I am glad that I stuck with it.
Undoubtedly the anchor throughout, Qualley delivered an outstanding performance as our protagonist. The way in which she was able to portray the various stages of grief through her tears, expressions and moments of silence were not only genuine, they were extremely relatable. While she made some questionable choices along the way, I could understand each and every one of them. We all deal with loss differently so the depiction was spot on.
I’ve not watched The Night Agent, but I had watched this with my husband who is a fan, and he said it was refreshing to see Basso in a completely opposite type of role. He was the perfect leading man full of charm and good looks. It truly was like he could do no wrong. Aaron Pierre starred as Felix, a fellow traveler who Maya meets while in Portugal. The two hit it off instantly. There was no way we could compare Felix to Charlie because they both had such different personalities and they both came in at different points in Maya’s life. The same could be said for Patrick Schwarzenegger who portrayed Maya’s best friend Jason. He was always in love with her, but he never overstepped that line. He was also able to stand on his own amongst the rest and for that I was appreciative. Also, I very much enjoyed Catherine Keener’s performance as Charlie’s mother Ruth. It was raw and cutthroat, yet incredibly realistic. I wish we’d had more of her on screen.
For those of us who have lost someone, the story will hit you like a ton of bricks. There’s a quote in the film that says grief is never done. I can’t tell you how much I felt that. No matter how long it’s been, or how recent, the way in which we deal with it just evolves over time. And just because someone we love might no longer be with us doesn’t mean that that love we had for them is done either.
Poignant, heartbreaking and beautiful, Love of Your Life is worth watching. I just recommend you have some tissues handy.
Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️
