Longing

A very interesting, but also problematic in parts, film about the very specific grief process of an unsuspecting father. Seven years after the original film LONGING (2017), which was shot in Hebrew, Israeli director Savi GABIZON was able to make an English-language version for the North American cinema market.

Richard GERE plays the wealthy businessman Daniel, who suddenly learns that he has had a son for 19 years, but that he has just died in a car accident. He travels to his deceased son's hometown and learns a lot about his life through encounters with various people. Daniel often acts intrusively, presumptuously, and embarrassingly. This, of course, fits wonderfully with a character who is irresponsible, emotionally traumatized, and simultaneously lacking in distance. Some plot lines are difficult to bear. One example: Daniel's son was madly in love with his French teacher (Diane KRUGER), whom he stalked day and night in a transgressive manner. German actress Diane Kruger plays this teacher, whose professional dedication is misunderstood, very vividly and convincingly. In a dream sequence, however, the film depicts this teacher larger than life as a sexual projection screen for father and son, which comes across as extremely embarrassing and inappropriate. Similar borderline scenes occur elsewhere in the film, which detracts from a better rating of this otherwise well-made film.

As a portrait of a thoroughly typical contemporary who serves as a symbol of irresponsibility, inability to commit, and lack of distance, the film is quite successful. However, the director doesn't tell it that way, as he still shows too much sympathy for his main character. Thus, the film about the misguided grieving process of a questionable personality remains a mixed pleasure.

I gave a little hope to this movie because of the casting and a breif storyline introduced. However, at the end, I could not understand why the people involved in productionbwould think the story is fine and really made it happen. What a disappointed movie which absolutely wastes my time and triggered my anger after that.

A father who never knew his son before made a series of stuipd and silly things but everyone around him also did the same. I could not see any love from this movie but just non sense actions and decisions made.

If anyone finds difficult in sleeping, this movie may help you.

I enjoyed this film a great deal, not least because of Richard Gere's deeply convincing dramatic portrayal of Richard Bloch, a man who becomes obsessed with the son he never knew, and who becomes determined to find validation of himself through the boy he never met. The story unfolds slowly, gradually disclosing its secrets only, it would seem, incidentally. Meanwhile, Bloch discovers in himself, the dutiful son, also what might have been a doting father. Sidetracked from the vocation of fatherhood, he becomes a successful, if insular individual and it's only through the unexpected encounter with a child he never met, does he engage with the promise within himself that had gone unrealized - even as his expectations are diminished and the idealism of fatherhood is laid bare by a son, who, finally falls far short. It's a brilliant study in paternal love and longing, imo, and wonderfully acted by all. Gere's performance, was for me, a revelation. I simply never expected this of him. Offbeat, and quite dark, this film will appeal to people who enjoy stories from life; who are ok with the unconventional, and engage with life's complexities.

Fiction, whether a book or a film, always requires a willing suspension of disbelief. After all, it's entertainment: you know life and events rarely move forward the way the author presents them, but it's enjoyable to imagine the 'what if?'.

Richard Gere brings his A-game to everything he does. For the first half of the movie, I believe him, and I can see his character's journey. But then, things no longer make sense.

Why does everyone talk and act as if the deceased son was still alive? Why do the supporting characters go along with the craziness? Why does the movie suddenly drop the connection to Daniel's business in New York?

Are all the events of the movie supposed to happen within a week? If so, how could the final scene be even possible?

I like how the movie slowly unfolds and paints a realistic picture of the deceased son with a rich but flawed personality. If the movie focused on how Daniel reassesses his own life based on the life of a son he never knew he had until the week before, I think this would have been a fine movie. But the film adds one implausibility to another and another, until I can no longer suspend my disbelief.

Longing is an English reboot directed, written and partly produced by Savi Gabizon, who released a similar French Hebrew version called Ga'agua in 2017.

Businessman Daniel Bloch (Richard Gere) lives a rich life and never wanted children. When he learns from an old girlfriend that they had a son, but he has died, Daniel decides to immerse himself in the old life of his unknown, surviving son. In this way he learns about his life choices and is confronted with the mistakes he has made. He tries to correct these, so that he can leave him with dignity.

Despite the fact that this is a reboot of an earlier, similar film, you would expect the writer-director to have worked it out a bit more. However, there are logical details missing, which makes the film seem vague, far-fetched, or sometimes unintentionally comical instead of truly dramatic or emotional.

Because the father tries to live the life of his surviving son, many moments come to the fore in the film. Because you as a viewer have not really experienced this son, this revival seems rather long-winded than really emotional. Many scenes also go on for too long or have unnecessary, short scenes between the events.

Due to the lack of good direction and writing direction, the cast members also seem somewhat uncertain and unclear, which means you do not really care about their characters. The strange choices they make only make this more difficult.