A long time ago I fell in love with a girl I met on the subway. So it can happen. But nothing could have prepared me for how deeply this movie would affect me. It's about two difficult, prickly, desperately lonely people who whose hands brush against each other on a train. They're so odd and idiosyncratic, their behavior may put off some viewers who were expecting lighter fare. But stick with it. There are good reasons why they turned out this way and the movie deftly reveals the secrets that haunt them. Speaking of haunted, Mary Cross is amazing as wounded, disturbed Susan with her soulful eyes and sad mask face. She would be magnificent in a horror movie. Michael Szeles is equally good as her tormented suitor. The whole cast is first rate, but the real standout is Janet Ulrich Brooks as an attractive 50-something mother with a shady past. She has a scene towards the end that will rip your heart out. The dialogue throughout is very terse and sharp, reminiscent of David Mamet. Fools is a moody, deeply felt romantic drama about people with rough edges longing to make connections that reminded me of films like As Good As It Gets and The Station Agent.
