“The Last Letter from Your Lover” follows two different central characters, Ellie Haworth (Felicity Jones) and Jennifer Stirling (Shailene Woodley), struggling to abide by their emotions for the sake of belonging. But as the film progress, not all love stories are the same. There are people that are meant to be together, and there are others that are only meant to fall in love with each other.
Ellie Haworth is a young journalist living in present day London. She is a woman disinterested with romance until she discovers a letter from a certain “J” and “Boot” (or “B”). With the help of the archivist, Rory (Nabhaan Rizwan), they tracked down the star-crossed lovers leading them to a woman named Jennifer Stirling.
Back in mid-1960s, Mrs. Stirling is a wealthy socialite who got herself into an illicit affair with the journalist Anthony O’Hare (Callum Turner). Besides spending time together while Mrs. Stirling’s frosty husband is away, the two exchange love letters. But even though they loved each other, she was afraid to run away with him. Then one day, Mrs. Stirling was caught in a car accident giving her partial amnesia.
Augustine Frizzell is not a household name yet, but most of her films so far are well-liked by critics and moviegoers alike. Her approach to filmmaking is not really unorthodox, in fact it is as straightforward as it can get.
Though, for some reason, Frizzell feels like she is not in control of the narrative in this film. The story wobbles as it abruptly sways from past to present. And having an aromantic journalist to connect the dots and keep everything steady for the audience did not help at all.
In fact, there is a feeling of frustration and repetition in the inclusion of Haworth. Her arc draws parallels to Mrs. Stirling’s, but hers is less dramatic and exciting. It copies the same formula, only changing it a little bit.
At the end, both of their stories are unbaked. There are so many questions unanswered and room left for improvement.
It is easy to misunderstand Frizell’s romantic-drama film. It established itself as a unique love story that bravely slams against generally accepted moral etiquettes. Of course, Frizzell does not intend to romanticize infidelity, rather it wants to play on the idea of possibilities and liberation. Unfortunately, it is hard to get that because of a poorly executed editing.
“The Last Letter from Your Lover” is like a Hallmark movie with a lot of budget. It’s showcase strong performances from its casts and it's cheesy, cute and serious. But it will leave you dissatisfied. If only it focuses on one central character, it might be a much better film.
1.5/5
"The Last Letter From Your Lover" movie is available on Netflix.