Star-crossed strangers Emma (Hathaway) and Dexter (Sturgess) spend their first night together after graduation on July 15th 1988, and the film traces the next 15 years or so of their lives time on that very same date. Over the years, we see the bookish Emma morph from a straight-laced teacher into a successful book writer, while the more rambunctious Dexter gets disillusioned after he’s fired from his high-flying TV producer job. All this while, the two best friends settle for other lovers, but little do they know that they were meant for one another.
Director Scherfig (An Education) bathes the film with lovely music and cinematography, buoyed by overall compelling performances, including Patricia Clarkson as Dexter’s dying mom. A tear-jerker, this one.
The love factor:
Based on the best-selling book by David Nicholls, the film perpetuates the idea of soul mates and the testament of the power of love and trust. Definitely one for hardcore idealists and romantics. Sob.