Three first-rate performers made me think this was going to be good. In fact, I kept watching and waiting for the ah-ha moment. But it never comes, and the movie ends with no resolution of anything. Nothing is ever explained. What is it that had the wife so upset the night before her death (or some short time prior at least)? What caused the conflict between the wife and her mother? Why did the mother invite the husband to her home, and why did he accept? Certainly, she never seemed like she actually wanted him there and he didn't seem like he wanted to be there. Sure, I can understand two people sharing their grief, but there is nothing but tension between them save for a brief moment or two. Why did the husband bring the wife's ashes on his visit, then lie about it - and what did he do with them in the end. Far too many unanswered questions for me to enjoy this film, though the performances are very good, as expected. Watch only if you want to find solace in it being over.

this is not a movie for the superficial people.this is a wonderful movie foe people WHO really understand the pain,the hard work to understand other people.if you are superficial and looking for a fun movie,move to the next movie.this is not for you.if you are able to go deep inside,to endure the pain,the hurt and the raw understanding if human heart,this is the movie for.you.the actors are very good and they make you feel all their feelings.there is real ending,but you could think of the future of the persons with no difficulty.you do not understand at first what this is all about,but in the end everything comes together and the human process of managing pain is well constructed.it is worth ed all your time.

Greetings again from the darkness. Every young filmmaker should be so fortunate to have Dianne Wiest and David Oyelowo accept roles in their first feature film. With what appears to be little more than an outline for a script, these two top notch actors bring the weight necessary to make us care about their characters … neither being especially likable.Written and directed by Maris Curran, it's a story of two people working through their grief and guilt, unable to share the burden due to their inability to get past their own feelings. When a woman dies in a car crash, her husband Sherwin (David Oyelowo) and mother Lucinda (Dianne Wiest) are both devastated. Sherwin tries to drown his depression with non-stop boozing, and ultimately accepts Lucinda's invitation to visit her in rural Maine (a long way from his home in Atlanta).The two have never gotten along with each other, and it turns out they each had a strained relationship with the now deceased wife/daughter. What follows are some uncomfortable dinners and conversations punctuated with much awkward silence … or cruelly pointed comments from cancer-stricken Lucinda. An unusually reserved and charming Rosie Perez is at her least obnoxious in the limited role of Lucinda's nurse (and Sherwin's confidante).There are few things that waste more energy than a competition over who deserves to grieve more. In fact, Lucinda has a line where she states that being a parent brings out the worst in people … in this movie, that holds true for grieving as well. These two characters are not their best selves as they struggle to come to grips with the gaping hole that now exists in their lives."It should have been me" is not an uncommon thought for those who have experienced the loss of a loved one … especially if they are haunted by the past. The sub-plot of the marital battle over whether to have kids becomes much easier to understand as we get to know Lucinda. As talented as Ms. Wiest and Mr. Oyelowo are, it still would have been nice to have a tighter script, and director Curran could have backed off the relentless hand-held close-ups without sacrificing the solitude and intimacy. Beyond that, she does have some good insight into the process of mourning, and how so many people hold those emotions down deep.

I made a point of booking early to see this film when it was announced at the Victoria Film Festival. I simply went on the fact that the two actors headlining would make it a powerful engaging movie.This was obviously a labour of love for David Oyelowo (producer) and his performance is to be quite honest "over the top" and I am a fan of his work. I was so disappointed with the dialogue between the Oyelowo and Weist, as much as this is a difficult subject matter, in my opinion the writer did not give them sufficient material to work with.I left the movie not having any emotional attachment to the previous 82 minutes watched and feeling my time wasted.