Julia Stiles is best known for being THAT actress of 2000’s rom-coms we all grew up on. Yet she expanded her career and decided to dip her toes into the directing field, falling in love with the novel Wish You Were Here and taking it to the big screen.
The story is relatable from the start. Main female lead Charlotte (Isabelle Fuhrman) is figuring out her life and career and works an average yet grueling food service job, in which she passes the time with her best friend Helen. Another average night of work leads to them outside their shared apartment meeting with a mysterious man (Mena Massoud), who also happens to be a talented artist. They share a whirlwind night, leaving Charlotte confused in the morning by how Adam suddenly switches his attitude. Though hurt, she tries to move on, and the story follows a girl in her 20s who ends up being led back to him and what happens going forward.
The cinematography was brilliantly well done. Julia Stiles had specified at The Claridge in Montclair, New Jersey, that she wanted the cinematography to capture the essence of the characters in this movie, and there were several moments where she and the cinematographer shared knowing looks of victory. The comedy in this film was light-hearted and unmatched. Each character had different ways of comedic timing, especially Kelsey Grammar, who played Charlotte’s father, singing opera while cooking in the film. When Stiles had worked with him on a previous film, she had recalled him singing opera in his trailer and wanted to utilize that in this project.
While Stiles wanted to keep the heart of the book in this movie, some changes had to be made. For instance, she noted that the couple in the novel traveled to Tahiti, France, and other dream locations, but that would take up a lot more time, and the cinematography would be more complicated, so for the travel part of this film, she kept it to one location on a boat and made a few tweaks. Stiles managed to keep the heart of the book, however, and pull on the heartstrings just as much on screen as the novel had for readers.
The story delved into each character separately and gave them all clear personalities: Charlotte, stuck in a food service job but longing for more in life and love. Helen, her unhinged and outgoing roommate. Adam, an artist with complex emotions. And both of Charlotte’s parents have unique bonds with her while also maintaining unique yet hilarious personalities. Near the end of the film… Charlotte’s mother even gives her a few words of wisdom that stick with viewers.
Overall, both the cast and director did a phenomenal job bringing this novel to life. The characters, as said previously, were relatable, and anyone who has gone through the same tragedies as these characters in this heartbreakingly beautiful film will be very touched. This film encapsulated everything about love, life, and grief.
Wish You Were Here is out now in US theatres.
Review Written by Alicia Mitas.
