“HUrts hurt people, or so the truism goes. This is an unnaturally optimistic film from hard-hitting 2012 Cannes award-winning Mexican director Michel Franco. after lucia, reminds us of a related truth: Two damaged souls can sometimes be damaged in exactly the right ways to heal each other. This may be the case of Sylvia (Jessica Chastain), a social worker and single-mother survivor of childhood sexual abuse, and Saul (Peter Sarsgaard), a widower who suffers from early-onset dementia – though it’s not immediately obvious. From their anti-romcom meets horror. This includes secretly following her home from a high-school reunion and sleeping rough on her doorstep.
Slowly and delicately, Sylvia and Saul’s tense traumas are revealed by a beautifully balanced pair of lead performances – though their happy life is never assured. Also keep an eye out for the great merit waiver (Incredible, marriage story) in a supporting role at work. She plays Sylvia’s sister, Olivia – apparently a sensitive, down-to-earth sibling who has a stable family life and a good nature. Then, in a knockout scene, Weaver shows how quickly such a creation can collapse when repressed childhood memories finally surface.