This film has a number of confusing layers. With all the verve of a well-financed student film there are some interesting topical elements. The film has some great moments of cinematography and does much with little in terms of lighting. With the exception of Mason Lake's parents the performances are utilitarian even in their best moments. But the writing is what brings me here. From the outset the story itself promises much and then reduces itself rather quickly to the "female help-mate" allegory. It's a strange story collapse in terms of character development. Initially these are two characters we want to like but don't really get a feel for. Mason and Sarah meet at a party, fall in love, make plans... and then disaster strikes. Mason Lake loses his mental capacities and becomes something of a child. At this point Kerry Bishe's overacting as Sarah becomes a real problem for developing this new complex relationship. Her handling of the tragedy lacks any real subtlety and things falter a bit. Calvin Marty's depiction of Mason actually holds up much better as his part of the story transitions. The performances of Mason's parents do much to help create a more realistic baseline for what everyone is experiencing. The rising tension between Mason's parents and Sarah carries the story as it begins to drag and then... Sarah walks out. That's right Sarah can't take the stress of caring for a man-child. Sarah makes a sexual advance on a friend and then she leaves. And I thought... that's it. The movie just saved itself from total implosion. She did the imperfect, human, tragic thing and it worked. But then soon enough Sarah returns to Mason. And being the heroic female she recounts a discussion she and Mason had when he was healthy. Something about children and responsibilities. She has carefully sainted herself into a sexless life caring for her beloved partner. Honestly, it's a moralizing allegory that feels contrived and creepily gendered. The story had a shot at something great and traded it in for something fair. I'd like to see this rewritten with the male and female roles reversed. Now that I'd like to see. Until then this script would get someone onto the writing staff of the WB show of their choice... which is a compliment and makes me a bit jealous. Mason proposes to Sarah by writing the marriage proposal on a ball during a game of catch. The marriage proposal and the way Sarah reconnects to Mason while he lies in a hospital bed are rich with WB sentimentality. Oddly this film is something I didn't expect at all: A really depressing fairytale.
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