Agradecimento e Desculpas

I wanted to switch this off after first 10 minutes, but my wife wanted to give it a chance, so here i go...

Main problem is how unlikable main character is. People in the movie try to cheer her up or have meaningful discussion, but her favourite response is always "You should go now" or similar one word answer. Its very slow paced, with completely no character development at all, aiming nowhere and it doesnt have reasonable conclusion either. This was marked as comedy, but there was no single funny moment.

Maybe if you enjoy to watch clinically depressed, emotionless person, which doesnt even try, for 90 minutes, then this movie is for you.

This is rated 6/10 on IMDB and i had strong urge to controbute to rating correction to where it belongs - 3-4/10.

A family suffering from a marriage breakdown, unexpected death, family break-up and estrangement doesn't sound like material for a light-hearted and ultimately uplifting and occasionally humorous tale but that's exactly what this movie delivers. It's well acted and the characters are likeable.

The casting was a little odd, the younger sister, Sara, looks much older to me than Linda, the supposedly older sibling, but this is a minor point. It may even be intentional as Sara is meant to be weighed down by her woes and suffering from repressed anger, whilst Linda is somewhat innocent, almost child-like in her dress sense and inability to assert herself.

This is not a laugh out loud comedy (nor intended to be), the humour is lightly sprinkled, but Linda's boyfriend was amusing in his oblivious selfishness, Sara's son adds some light-hearted moments, the interfering mother-in-law was well sketched and there is a generally charming and affectionate oddness to the relationships on display here.

As long as you don't expect deep drama or laugh a minute humour, this well-made and well-meaning tale is worth a look at.

I didn't know how to take this film initially. Was it a comedy? A tragedy?

The characters are very oddball, the situations frequently a little ridiculous, but the writing, acting (and the English dubbing actually) are pretty outstanding and you quickly fall for everyone. Sara, the struggling abandoned wife, her sister Lynda with the egocentric boyfriend Jasse and a dog whose name sounds a bit like Satan, Helen the interfering mother in law, and the ineffectual church minister, and little Eliot, Sara's son.

There is a lot of warmth and humour which offsets the sadness of the subject (what subject, I hear you ask. Grief, toxic relationships, birth, death, family. Okay?)

Look, I promise you that you're going to enjoy the beautiful, sweet, silly and ultimately moving film. So what are you waiting for?

Go on, give it a go.

This film addresses the reality of dealing with life's losses and developing maturity in how you do so. Its funny and moving and very real. The main character comes across as unlikeable until her emotional history unfolds as the story develops. If it was a morality play, the moral would be that family never ends, and that a person growth from dealing with loss, is in how they deal with that loss. The character of the Mother in Law is very interesting, she turns out not to be as blind to her own behavior as she seems at first. The sister is hilarious and just as lost as the main character. I loved it.

This movie is both an excellent illustration and a perfect refutation of everything we know about toxic relationships. The mechanism of refutation is CHANGE. On the traumatised side, it's hard to listen and then apply the advice to everyday life, but on the other side, those who caused the suffering... well, I wouldn't say it needs a miracle, just it is unlikely that anyone will get to the point of thanking and apologising. But why not? Sometimes everyone can get together for one big photo and somehow things fall into place.

With a logically structured script and unique characters brought to life by excellent acting, the movie manages to portray this stifling subject in a moving and liberating way.