Lovely Still

This is a title that has been sitting in my Netflix Q for nearly a year and I finally got around to watching it. I'll say up front that I'm going to spoil this to death so read no further if you want to enjoy this film untainted by my comments.

I had no clue what this film was about. All I knew is that it centered around an older couple finding new love. One thing done so well in this movie is the depiction of joy and happiness in the discovery of a new relationship with almost no sexual overtones. It allows the viewer to see romantic friendship at a pure level with no strings attached. How wonderful it is to know someone wants to see you and be with you not because of how you look but for how you truly make them feel. That element of this film is rare in today's world and I think its important to see that when all of the physical is gone, something much stronger remains.

As the film progresses it became clear to me that the girlfriend (Mary) was really (Robert's) wife and he was suffering from amnesia. At this point the whole romantic friendship theme transitioned to remind me of our relationship with God.

Once, each of us knew and loved God as his child. We came to earth and by design, we forgot him. Yet He comes and knocks on our door and invites us to know him again. This movie made me realize that perhaps one of the greatest joys in this life is re-discovering how much He loves us. Despite our erratic behavior or the pain we may cause Him, He reaches out to us because He knows how utterly alone and miserable life is without him. At one point Mary exclaims "Can't you see that its you leaving me!?!" Ultimately, Robert is hospitalized and everyone tells Mary to give up. Yet she puts her ring back on, goes in and stays by Robert's side to the end.

Maybe I'm just a sucker for amnesia films, but I think they resonate with me because they speak to our intrinsic desire to be unconditionally loved. This film truly put me in a state of happiness nearly the entire running time and goes on the must see list for all couples into amnesia films. Its clearly not the Notebook and you won't feel compelled to fast forward certain scenes. If anything, you may want to linger on it longer like a good meal or conversation. Here is a fun clip from the movie.