The Rest of Us

A lovely small movie dealing with big life decisions.

The passing of a cheating, dead beat husband (cleverly absent on screen), leaves a pair of mother daughter teams struggling to cope with the aftermath. Unfortunate circumstances lead to an uncomfortable union of two reluctant female families joined at a virtual hip, sifting through various emotional messes. Thankfully "The Rest of Us" is no schmaltzy feel gooder, preferring to plot a realistic storyline in a most complicated situation.

In a career performance, Heather Graham is great as a well to do author, taking in her suddenly struggling successor, disrupting a seemingly utopian oasis. The awkward tension between former wives is balanced by their uppity pre and full teen daughters, who deal with the tragedy from very different angles, and very different ages.

As the unsympathetic mistress turned second wife, Jodi Balfour tackles a difficult role with a careful balance of devastation, guilt and determination. The seedy details of what went down is sketched over, and rightfully so. This movie is all about the present, and who exactly these people really are. It all rides on character discovery.

Filmed economically in a handful of small, closed locations, focussing solely on the four leads, "The Rest of Us" is a quick eighty minutes of exceptional cinema that offers much to think about. Superb.

• hipCRANK

Cami (Heather Graham) and her daughter Aster (Sophie Nélisse) receive news of the death of her ex-husband and Aster's father. The new wife Rachel (Jodi Balfour) with her daughter Talulah get evicted and she reluctantly accepts Cami's offer to stay at her home.

It is a family drama of a different kind. It's a shorter Canadian indie. The story is intriguing with all kinds of cross currents. The overall theme of cheating is fascinating since the Craig is not there. These women have to deal with the aftermath and with each other. The writing could do with more humor and it could add some more drama for the third act. Maybe the daughters run off and the mothers can bond over the search. Nevertheless, this is an interesting little film with some interesting actresses.

The Rest of Us is a subtle, character-driven drama that explores grief, complicated relationships, and resilience. While the film doesn't reinvent the genre, it manages to deliver an intimate and heartfelt story with moments of genuine emotion.

Heather Graham gives one of her strongest performances, bringing depth and nuance to her role. She effortlessly balances vulnerability and strength, making her character both relatable and compelling. The chemistry between the cast members adds to the authenticity of the film's emotional weight, even when the story itself feels somewhat predictable.

Though the pacing is slow at times and the narrative doesn't take many risks, The Rest of Us remains an engaging watch, thanks to its strong performances and quiet yet impactful storytelling. It may not be groundbreaking, but it's a well-acted drama worth watching.

I just finished watching The Rest of Us (2019). Directed by Aisling Chin-Yee, this Canadian drama stars Heather Graham, Sophie Nélisse, Jodi Balfour, and Abigail Pniowsky. When her ex-husband dies suddenly, Cami (Graham) invites his second wife (Balfour) and daughter (Pniowsky) to stay with her and her teenaged daughter (Nélisse). The four women deal with their grief, while trying to navigate their complicated relationship and history. I was very invested in all four main characters and their journey. The film was well written and I thought all four lead actors did a good job. I would definitely recommend this film to anyone who appreciates an intelligent, engaging female driven drama. My rating is an 8/10.

I didn't think I'd enjoy The Rest of Us but I decided to take a chance on it. I love how the film evolved and how in such a short amount of time (90 minutes) the four characters connected. Several times I reflected on how I would handle a situation like this. I'd like to believe I'd handle it with the same grace as Cami but I don't know.