It has been my experience that first love can be the best thing to ever happen to you and will most likely be the worst. This film, like first love, subtly grabs you before you know what's happening and you are in it until the last scene.
It is beautifully quiet, as is it's dialog, appearing intentional and lovely realistic. So often in films these days it feels like conversations are forced and we miss the little treasures of a glance, the touching of hands, or the way the light moves. The ability to deliver without overstating the obvious or spoon feed feelings is refreshing and endearing to say the least.
Serenely delivered, we see a young couple fall in love with one another and then have to deal with the real world issues of visas, rules, life, sacrifices, and careers. The cinematography was beautiful, although I found the handheld a little jarring at first, I lost sight of it and it became very natural very quickly. I caught myself many times getting lost in a scene and then another... I take that back... not lost... absorbed. It's spaces are filled like moving snapshots and among them beautiful emotion.
Although there has been quite a bit of good criticisim regarding Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones' breakout performances (which ARE really really fantastic), I was pleasantly surprised about the supporting performances of her parents (especially her mum, played by Alex Kingston) and Samantha (played by Jennifer Lawrence). Again, not a lot of dialogue was used, but it is in their exchanges and their tender delivery that say so much more and really deliver a brilliant scene.
I found "Like Crazy" to be an engaging collage of emotion and a must see! Much like first love, I immensely enjoyed the first two thirds of the film and was sad to see it end.
