How He Fell in Love

Good stuff, the real stuff takes time!! ~favourite words in the movie~

I liked this movie more than I expected to. The story stayed with me long after I'd watched it as I found the characters to be very authentic, and the casting and portrayals were very good. The movie doesn't condone, justify, or glamorize extramarital affairs. In fact,it reveals how something that might, at first, seem like just a casual and temporary dalliance can snowball into lasting negative consequences for everyone involved. When the affair begins, I was thinking she should have stopped it right at the first kiss, but then... there wouldn't be a movie.

As Ellen's feelings for young Travis strengthen, she becomes torn up over her betrayal to her husband, who is nearly 20 years older than her. The affair brings up negative emotions that she'd probably been suppressing for quite a while, although she truly cares for her husband and the life they've created together. These conflicting emotions help explain how it was relatively easy for her to begin the affair with Travis in the first place.

The ending also seems realistic and appropriate, not fully resolving what happened, but highlighting how the characters' lives have significantly changed.

Wow, this movie was so great! It felt so very real and true to life. The two leads were fantastic! I'm gushing, I know, but this is a gem if you appreciate great art and the craziness and unpredictability of the human heart. This was touching and heartbreaking and sweet and so much more. I commend the screenwriter, the director, and the two leads. I hope you have much success in the future.

This movie did not resonate with me. Many people confuse infatuation and lust with love. There is absolutely no development that would even remotely lead to love. I found it to be boring, fake emotions and an absolute lack of chemistry between leading actors. While Amy Hargreaves was OK, Matt McGorry was completely flat. I did not like or cared about the characters. 44 years old Ellen turned out to be emotionally unstable and insecure, and behaved like a teenager. Not really attractive. Older women usually are secure and confident and that is what attracts young men. Here, Ellen is not much different than Monica, who is in her 20s. Fights between Henry and Ellen were really out of place and did not contribute anything to the story. Some dialogues where pretty stupid (You dried my eggs, LOL).

This movie is a gem for an indie lover like me. The simplicity of the story allowed focus on the complex and nuanced layers of the characters. Quite understated in its presentation, the film allowed us to fully digest each of the completely moving scenes. In each scene, there were so many feelings that resonated with me. This movie had a similar unrequited love theme that is found throughout the indie film landscape, but it still came across as fresh and compelling. The actor's chemistry was strong, though it took a few scenes to kick into gear. As a big fan of character movies, this one delivers on every level.

While AmyAmy Hargreaves, in her quirky, super appealing, and unpredictable realization of the character was particularly engaging, I felt the most important scenes in the film were delivered brilliantly by the jilted husband played by Mark Blum. Blum was absolutely perfect in every scene and had the gravity to pull the other actors into a heightened drama.

The smallness of this production was also refreshing and intimate. I love when films don't feel slick and over-rehearsed. I would have given this film a 10, were it not for a certain overly-sharp character shift of Amy Hargreaves in a scene set in the morning. But I will overlook that because the rest of the film was working so well. They say 90% of a director's job is casting. I bet that was the case in this excellent film, too. Bravo to everyone involved in this movie.