Una vida en secreto

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.

I loved this film and can't understand why it has such a low rating. The story develops beautifully from start to finish, with plenty of twists and turns, a lovely sense of humor, and a great cast delivering fantastic performances. What I like most is the balance: neither the actors nor the script become overly dramatic, despite the characters' significant pain. The humor is perfectly balanced as well-any more or less, and it wouldn't work. Well done. It seems like audiences are getting less discerning by the day. If you don't understand what you're watching, please refrain from rating it. I strongly recommend this unconventionally sweet movie.

Wow. Such a great script, such a great thriller. Perfect acting, charismatic actors .. just a delight.

Haven't seen anything like it . Went from laughing to crying to laughing again. So much conflict , so much sanity!

The critique? Alright, I'll spell it out considering the polarization of this movie.

My critique is about the son's actor, not resembling any of the parents in grace or beauty, and about the dream. The dream could've been less .. erotic, but I guess it is rather realistic that way.

It is so rare to find art that is so uplifting and hopeful .. and representing reality accurately.

Praise God!

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.