Movie Review: Last Love (2013)

The film Last Love’s tagline says ‘It’s never too late to love life again’. Sandra Nettelbeck tries hard to project this and she does succeed to some extent but the overall impact is not great. Whatever she achieves is killed in the last 15 minutes of the film and one is just left feeling somewhat bitter!

Michael Caine plays the role of an aging widower Matthew Morgan, a retired Princeton philosophy professor, who lost his beloved wife three years ago. He lives alone in Paris, drowning in silent grief. A chance meeting with Pauline (Clemence Poesy) a young Parisian cha-cha-cha teacher brings some spark in his lifeless life and brightens it up. Or so it seems.

He says her hair reminds him of his late wife’s; she says she liked his beard for it reminded her of her late father’s. Slowly and strangely Pauline’s entire life seems to revolve around Matthew, strange because their relation is so ambiguous. It’s vague whether it is platonic affection that arises out of their respective loneliness or there is an undercurrent of real desire. 

Why need there be a clear demarcation one might say. Agreed! I did not have a problem for the most part of the movie. But as mentioned above, the last part just messes it all up and you’re left wondering.

When Matthew attempts a serious suicide, his two children Miles (Justin Kirk) and Karen (Gillian Anderson) come down from America on a disappointing note. They are not happy about having to be there as is evident from Karen’s remark, "An overdose is not my favorite excuse to come to Paris but thanks for making an effort, Dad." The two, especially Miles, develop an instant hostility for Pauline seeing her as “our future stepmother for all I know”.

Things take a turn from here and Nettelbeck seems to have found a shortcut to put things in order, which is far from convincing. Cliché and melodrama end up in disaster.

Michael Caine is undoubtedly a brilliant actor and he’s fairly good here. Only sometimes it seems that he is merely reading out his lines in a detached manner. Many people also have a problem with his (fake) American accent. Poesy is good in her part, and shares a good chemistry with Caine. Gillian Anderson has the least screen space but she plays it to the hilt.

I don’t have a problem with slow paced films but the languid pace might disturb some. Hans Zimmer’s score is subtle to suit the tone and mood of the film, but even though it looks very promising it too goes downhill. Michael Bertl though deserves great applause for the wonderful cinematography. Paris has been shot so well and one would (for the nth time) end up falling in love with the city.

Last Word: Last Love is not a bad film. It does take up serious issues deal with them well in the first half. It is the end that majorly disappoints. This film really had the potential to be better, so much better.

Rating: 7/10

I am upset today. It was distressing to hear the news of Paul Walker’s death. Even though I have not seen many of his movies, not even all of the Fast and Furious series, I am saddened to hear of his untimely demise. Plus I also read an article where last year’s Delhi rape victim’s mother speaks her heart out. While reading, there were numerous moments when I paused because I was choked.

My mind was flooded with a series of thoughts and images. [I sometimes marvel at the rapidity of thoughts. One leads to the other and within seconds you are in a maze of thoughts. I’d love to talk more about this but I’ll save this for later.] Both these incidents make me low-spirited. But they also give me an impetus to pen down my thoughts about something I’d been thinking of lately. It is connected to my current state of mind – being sad!

Looking around I see most people sad and distressed. Once in a while it is fine and understood but it’s more of a regular feature. Everyone seems to be caught up with something or the other and dissatisfied with life. They are plagued by many problems such as work, relationships, past issues, finances, self-esteem, future etc. Each person has his/her own way of dealing with things. A few are mentally strong and face these challenges astutely. Some seek to put up a brave face and try to deal with things on their own. The tussle is, of course, visible to only close people if not all. Most others are weak and tend to crib about it.

There is nothing wrong about cribbing. All of us, at some point in life do vent out our frustration and negative thoughts. Even the strongest of people do give in, which is perfectly fine. However what is disturbing is when people tend to create problems on their own. The truth is that not a soul is free of problems, issues or difficulties. We all go through them. So nobody is different in this regard. But what sets people apart is the way they react to situations.

As mentioned above death and rape are two things which not only sadden me but also scare the hell out of me. Death is permanent and cannot be undone. Rape is worse. It leaves a scar which only and only the victim can understand. When people go through such crisis, my heart goes out to them. There are so many other things which make me feel in the same way – a child begging, people digging the garbage to scour for food, the homeless, poor or orphans, terrorism amongst others. Oh there is so much real pain and suffering in this world! However an average person never gives much thought to it. On the contrary he/she is busy complaining about an unkind boss, having to eat boring food, a misunderstanding, not having enough clothes to wear, something someone said, a low-paying job and so much more.

These aren’t real problems. If you are not happy with your work, find another job. If you are not happy working under someone, have the strength to venture into entrepreneurship. Better still follow your dreams and pursue them. Not having enough clothes or eating boring food – really! Think about millions who struggle for a morsel of food and make do with bare minimum clothes. If it is about what people say/said, well we don’t really have a control over what others say. So ignore and move on! If there is a misunderstanding, clear it. Do not sit back and assume things. It only makes things more complicated!

The world is really full of concrete problems and most of us have no inkling of them. So rather than cribbing about what is not right, try and face it. All that is required is a change of attitude. It might not help in putting an end to the problem, but at least it can provide enough strength to deal with the situation. And the next time you think you are sad, think of the more unfortunate ones and you’ll realize you are way better off.

“Life is a bowl of cherries. Some cherries are rotten while others are good; its your job to throw out the rotten ones and forget about them while you enjoy eating the ones that are good! There are two kinds of people: those who choose to throw out the good cherries and wallow in all the rotten ones, and those who choose to throw out all the rotten ones and savor all the good ones.” 

― C. JoyBell C.