We have come across many star-crossed lovers in this lifetime, all as if their meetings were orchestrated by serendipity, the time when stars align and their worlds are changed, forever.
Such is the story of Comet, a beautiful and sincere film that tugs at the heartstrings and perfectly captures the story of love, and all the joy, insecurities, and heartbreak that come along with it.
The film gives us glimpses into a relationship that takes course over six years between the two characters, Dell (played by Justin Long) and Kimberly (played by Emmy Rossum). The two meet at a meteor shower event, where Kimberly saves Dell’s life by pushing him out of the way of a speeding vehicle. An interesting meeting between two well-fleshed out characters become the start of something special.Â
The rest of the film jumps from timeline to timeline, not following any sort of linear time element as we see their relationship unfold. The movie zigzags around different moments in time that are key highlights in their relationship– from the fateful meteor shower meeting, a monumental fight at a hotel room in Paris; finding each other on a train; a breakup conversation while Dell is in New York, and with Dell showing up at Kimberly’s house in Los Angeles. And like viewers of a dream taking place, there is no beginning, middle, and end; just moments that give us a glimpse of the human nature of love– from the meeting to falling in love; from commitment to heartache.
The dialogue is chock-full of witty banter; Justin Long and Emmy Rossum have great on-screen chemistry, and give stellar and compelling performances with their characters that are as human as they come. Dell is by all means neurotic to a fault, too smart for his own good that leads to many awkward situations, while Kimberly is smart, funny, with a bit of a superficial complex. But for all their faults they are lovable, and their characters love each other.
Like parallel universes, Comet traverses the intricacies of fate, the what-ifs, the could-have-beens. It’s a well-produced, sensitive and moving film about how something so beautiful, even if only fleeting, can touch your life.
Comet
Opens in theaters nationwide on February 25, 2014
