I used ReelGood's Netflix roulette to find a movie to watch, and my only disappointment with this movie is from the fact that the genre I selected was "Thriller" which this most definitely was not. I kept expecting some sort of mystery or twist that would make this drama into a thriller, and it never came, but I'm still glad I watched it because this film was one of the rare movies that doesn't enlist tons of predictable cliches. The story follows former high school sweethearts as they reconnect after twenty years. The residual feelings between the two characters are evident right away and throughout the film you watch those feelings spark and rekindle. A typical hollywood romance would find an easy out of the predicament that Amanda is married, like her husband is negligent or abusive, but this movie doesn't do that. Instead, even though because of their chemistry and palpable desire you want to see them reconnect physically, you also don't because of the moral issues regarding her marriage. Though the final revelation that the couple was driven apart following an abortion is predictable in the moments leading up to it, the scene is still incredibly relatable. Everything about this story feels authentic and engaging. Though it is not terribly exciting, it is realistic. Even Jim's foolish notion that had Amanda not gone through with the abortion the couple could have been so happy together is genuine and understandable, given that people who are disappointed with their lives often think if one thing could have gone differently in their lives, they may have had the perfect life they fantasize about--even though if what they wanted to happen had, they would ultimately have found the fantasy still unattainable. The story, characters, and emotions were so real, so even though the movie wasn't thrilling, it was still beautiful and interestingly complex.
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