The Presence of Love

After faithfully watching Hallmark movies for years, this film finally broke the mold of predictable formulaic Hallmark plots. There was no big city girl returning to her home town to help fix the cupcake bakery or the seasonal festival, help because Dad hurt his back or broke a leg, meet her old boyfriend, review why they broke up, have an almost kiss, an accidental misunderstanding, and get it all resolved by the last 5 minutes.

Here is a story of real emotion, real life issues, professional conflicts, personal struggle with anxiety, loss, sadness, and unresolved relationships. Here is a sensitive young woman, searching for answers in both a professional and a family crisis of her own, opening herself to risks and unknowns to help her resolve her sadness.

The acting on the part of Eloise Mumford, the young child, and the granny were spot on. Truly sensitive, deep interpretations of their roles. Sadly, the leading man was bit bland and one-note, but nevertheless presented a solid rock to lean on for the young woman in her personal emotional search.

The scenery was just breathtaking! It added drama and seriousness to the story. The exploration of the child's dyslexia was done with great sensitivity. The issue of professional conflict and creative blocks had a real life quality to it. Addressing personal depression, anxiety, medication, and the helplessness of such moments is a real departure for Hallmark and is so welcome in our current world.

And yes, as a previous reviewer noted, how and why did the young woman manage to pack 4 coats and a jacket in her suitcase for such short trip? But one has to forgive such filming gaffes. This was a Hallmark movie, after all. Not everything needs to make sense.

Here is a film truly worth watching, and truly a departure for Hallmark, which has become so formulaic that one can predict almost everything in most moves before it happens. Not here. This is a gem!! More of the same, please!!

This is a lovely film filled with wonderful poetry references and quotes, fabulous views of the English countryside, and a touching exploration of different kinds of loss. There are several themes threading throughout and the film is not afraid to explore difficult subjects, like loss, fear, the expectations of others and ourselves, and difficult personal health or psychological challenges. This doesn't mean it is a heavy movie, but it is not afraid of delving a little deeper than some Hallmark romances, and it is not really light and airy. If the movie were not constricted to 90 minutes, I could see where some themes could have and should have been explored more. Even with the limitations of a television movie framework, I appreciated this one very much. It's not perfect. It's lovely for what it is. I could relate to Joss in certain ways, and I longed to visit Cornwall myself, while watching this movie.

For me, it was a beautiful surprise. Because it is one of films having the courage to be more than a Hallmark.

I love the themes and the manner to explore them.

Loving books, having the experiences of teaching and the work for Phd, I discovered so familiar slices from my life, just fair reflected.

I loved the acting and the landscapes. The courage to use, in wise manner, the subjects as dislexia, ruined marriage, motherhood and dyslexia. I loved the intro, using the verses of Wentsworth and the box with the old volume by Coleridge.

The problem ? Obvious, the too conventional ( but predictable ) end.

But, honestly, it is more than Hallmark. And this just matters.

This was an absolutely beautiful movie and the best I have seen in some time. The acting was superb and the sweet little girl stole the show. The story of love, loss, and struggle is one that we can all identify with and the true emotions expressed came through so well. The attraction and connection between the two leads was real and not forced or silly as in many of the Hallmark movies. And the scenery of Cornwall was not only stunning, but also provided the metaphor of standing on a cliff trying to summon the courage to move away and move on. Having also lost a mother much too soon, the scene of Joss finally letting go near the end was just so very touching. I wish this movie had been longer. I did not want it to end. Let's have more movies like this with a wonderful story and strong characters that move us to tears and allow us to smile.

What a wonderful change of pace! This movie had depth, understanding, a steady pace and excellent acting. Such a relief from the annoyingly formulaic movies usually presented. No old boyfriend, no high heels, no saving the old bakery, festival, tree... here we had a lovely background, intertwining stories and themes, well developed characters, and a movie that was complex yet simple. It stays with me and I'll think about this one for a long time.