Margaret Qualley's New Romance Fails to Convince in Toronto Premiere
The film stars Margaret Qualley as an ER nurse who enters a relationship with a man played by Gabriel Basso, but her fear of intimacy complicates things. Directed by Rachel Morrison, the drama premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. The review criticizes the film as visually appealing but emotionally hollow.
Rachel Morrison made history in 2018 as the first woman nominated for an Academy Award in cinematography, for her work on Mudbound. She previously directed The Fire Inside, a sports biopic written by Barry Jenkins, before tackling this romantic drama. The film reunites a notable cast including Aaron Pierre and Catherine Keener alongside leads Qualley and Basso.
The story centers on Maya, an ER nurse shaped by a childhood of rejection, who marries Charlie during the early COVID-19 outbreak. Their wedding night scene is singled out as a highlight, praised for its relaxed chemistry between the two actors. The film runs 1 hour 49 minutes and screened in TIFF's Special Presentations section.
This film's reception may influence how studios evaluate pandemic-era romance narratives and female-directed dramas. Audiences seeking emotionally resonant love stories could find the "pretty but empty" critique discouraging, potentially affecting box office prospects. The film may also spark conversation about whether visually accomplished directors can successfully transition into emotionally compelling storytelling, particularly when tackling intimate subjects like intimacy avoidance and pandemic-era relationships.