Eliza Schroeder makes her feature directorial debut with Love Sarah, a story of dealing with grief through finding new joy and mending past relationships amidst the sweet scent of patisserie. Celia Imrie plays Mimi, the estranged mother of Sarah who recently lost her life in a fatal accident leaving behind her daughter Clarissa and best friend and business partner Isabella.
Isabella is left feeling lost without her primary baker and is ready to sell the dream away when Clarissa steps in, determined to do justice to the legacy of her mother. With some generous donations from Mimi, the three of them get to work on launching the bakery.
Love Sarah endeavours to examine the complex relationships between women and how we build ourselves from the tiny fragments of those who raised us. Clarissa and Mimi are divided and united all in one from the finite connection of Sarah whose presence lingers in every scene, despite the audience's only encounter with her occurring in a lush cycling shot through the Southbank. They have a lot to learn from and about one another, and the film would've been fascinating should it have been from their singular perspective.
The character of Matthew (Rupert Penry-Jones) creates a distraction to this through romantic relations with Isabella, complexified by the possibility that he might be the father of Clarissa. The deep intensity of a fractured relationship between granddaughter and grandmother is a much richer narrative that gets lost towards the film's third act.
However, this film is not supposed to be that film. It is supposed to lift your heart and make you feel hopeful about a seemingly divided city. Schroeder is a non-native Brit who found her home in London with a desire to share her love for the city through the medium of film. Her story is touching, and there's no denying there's love in every frame. It's a heartwarming celebration of diversity that showcases London's dynamic culture at its best and feels like a refreshing story for divisive times.
Love Sarah is set for UK release on April 24th 2020.
Until next time
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