Color Force, Film Four, Random House Films,
Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Patricia Clarkson, Ken Scott, Romola Garai, Rafe Spall, Tom Mison, Jodie Whittaker, Joséphine de La Baume
Emma (Anne Hathaway) and Dexter (Jim Strugess) connect on the day of their college graduation in 1988 and almost sleep together. But in the end they decide to be close friends and Emma stays the night. The date is July 15th. They remain friends throughout their lives as they grow apart, then grow back closer again. In order to cover their lives from 1988 through 2009, the film shows us one day, July 15th, of each year, just to check in with the two of them, whether they are together or apart, so see how their lives are progressing. Emma is quiet and reclusive, she’s very smart, but success eludes her because of her nature. Dexter on the other hand, has everything handed to him. Finding women very easily, and finding success as a TV host comes simply for him. Dexter finds and marries a rich girl Sylvie (Romola Garai) and has a daughter, but his destructive nature screws that up and they divorce. Emma eventually meets and marries Ian (Refe Spall) whom she doesn’t really love. But until the end, the friendship lingers on.
This is a beautiful movie with lots of wonderful scenery (It was filmed in Scotland). It is a slow film, very romantic, but slow developing. It’s a little hard to keep up with. A calendar on the screen shows us which year it is, but it’s hard to understand a story that takes place over one day a year for over 20 years. It’s happy, and sad, and tragic. But if you want to watch this, my recommendation is to pay close attention to the film. This is not a “background filler” film, or you’ll be totally lost. Also it helps to keep in mind that there is no real special significance to July 15th. It’s not like some films where they meet one day a year. It’s just a chosen checkpoint to see how they’ve been doing over the last 12 months. So it’s rather choppy at times. But the story is really there, if you have patience for the slow development, and if you are paying attention to what is going on.
This film is based on a novel, and I bet the book is very good to read. Making a book into a movie is sometimes quite a challenge, which I think is what they faced here. I have not seen or read the book. However the film is very pretty, both Emma and Dexter are very interesting people, and are very real, flaws and all, and the acting is spectacular along with the beautiful scenery. I recommend this film if you’re a fan of slow romantic drama films and are willing to invest the time to watch it closely. Otherwise, you’ll probably be disappointed.
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