Directed by: Drake Doremus
Starring: Felicity Jones, Anton Yelchin, Jennifer Lawrence, Charlie Bewley
Anna (Jones) and Jacob (Yelchin) meet while seniors in college and fall deeply in love. The couple is faced with a dilemma after graduation because Anna is a London foreign exchange student and has to return home. They begin a long-distance romance that soon becomes even harder when Anna is not allowed back into the United States after over-staying her student visa. Jacob is entrenched in a furniture design business that he's now developed in Los Angeles, while Anna is stuck in the UK. Over a several year period the lovers have an on-again off-again relationship. Jacob travels back and forth to London to keep their love alive. During their times apart though, they both have relationships with other people; her with Simon (Bewley), he with Samantha (Lawrence.) In the end, they have to decide if their romance is worth trying to make a life together.
Writer/Director Drake Doremus in his 6th project behind the camera, gave the cast only a basic outline of what was to happen in each scene, and the actors improvised most of their dialogue. Jones and Yelchin do an excellent job of carrying out their work with flowing screen chemistry. A chair that Jacob designs and builds for Anna is a signature of the entire film. It is sturdy, yet fragile at the same time. Jacob also inscribes "Like Crazy" on the bottom of the chair...a signature of his love for Anna.
I liked this film for two reasons: raw unscripted acting, and a director who makes a film that leaves the viewer questioning how it really ends...does their love survive all that it has been through?
Agree, great ending. But hard to care about these characters very much. Found myself caring a lot more for Jennifer Lawrence's character. She was the best thing in the movie.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Pete..I found myself "rooting" for Samantha, and feeling sorry for her as well.
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