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While the world has moved on from COVID, there are still stories to be told, particularly about the start of the pandemic. In the new Prime Video film, "Love of Your Life," director Rachel Morrison and writer Julia Cox take a look at how the pandemic affected first responders and their families. This movie shines a spotlight on the non-linear progression of grief and how learning to love after loss can be something more than finding another romantic partner.
Maya (Margaret Qualley) is an emergency department nurse. Because she works long hours, she never really thought about marriage until one day when she happens to meet Charlie (Gabriel Basso), and the two fall madly in love. But Charlie has asthma, and when COVID comes, he succumbs to the illness, leaving Maya floundering to cope with his death. She abandons her life, traveling abroad, when she meets Felix (Aaron Pierre), who helps her find her way back to herself.
It is probably a spoiler to talk about the inciting incident of "Love of Your Life," but I wouldn't want someone to get caught unawares by this, especially because the film starts off as a pretty standard rom-com before the shift. The film reminded me a bit of "Eternity," where the woman has a "perfect" husband who dies before there is any opportunity to really dig into his flaws. Where this film worked better is that we actually get to see some of Maya's flaws and see how the loss impacts her life going forward.
There is a lot of melodrama in this movie, which may make it difficult for some to watch, but the performances, particularly from Qualley, allow it to rise above the kind of banal story that this could turn into. Qualley plays an incredible range of emotions in this, proving yet again her immense talent. Pierre is also fantastic in his role, providing an interesting, fleshed-out rebound guy. Catherine Keener, who plays Charlie's mom, has a brief but affecting role, as does Patrick Schwarzenegger, who plays Maya's best friend.
The best element of "Love of Your Life" is how it addresses grief, but it also doesn't fully address how Maya's grief impacts those in her circle. It's easy to understand why she does what she does, and it's not completely glossed over, but it would have been good for the story to acknowledge how her pain hurt those closest to her in a more direct manner. Still, this isn't a story where she mopes around and then gets better. It is far more accurate to how grief is processed, and in that regard, it is remarkably well done.
If you're looking for a breezy romance, "Love of Your Life" is probably not the film to put on. But if you're interested in a romantic film that has a more realistic exploration of grief buoyed by some stellar performances, then this might be worth your time.
Rating: 4/5
Alise Chaffins is a freelance and Tomatometer-approved film critic.