‘My Sailor, My Love’ – Review
A film of deep emotion and a reflection on relationships and the growing years of time, My Sailor, My Love is a picture that makes for an emotionally stirring watch for audiences.
A retired sea captain and his daughter must reassess their strained relationship after he begins a new romance with a widowed housekeeper.
Directed by Klaus Härö, My Sailor, My Love is a slow-burn drama that swings from blossoming drama to burning family drama, and it takes audiences by surprise. Primarily delivered as a character study, My Sailor, My Love concerns the meeting of a crotchety old sea captain Howard (James Cosmo) and a widowed housekeeper Annie (Brid Brennan), who appears in his life. What follows is an up-and-down romance between the two characters that is offset by as deeply hurtful family drama, primarily expressed through Howard’s daughter Grace (Catherine Walker), whose conflict with and resentment of her father and the wounds he’s inflicted have not settled with time, nor his current predicament.
Much drama and conflict swirl about in this picture, but there is also a light-hearted kindred spirit that the film posses, and Härö does walk this line, although finely. The focus of My Sailor, My Love is in the presence of human relationships, and that’s where Härö’s interest is peaked in this picture. The pain, anguish and love of the family unit are explored to its deeper corners in this picture. My Sailor, My Love is a love story, but in the most unique way possible, and this is down to the strong performances on behalf of Brid Brennan and James Cosmo.
Along with its strong narrative, and emotional character study, My Sailor, My Love is a thoroughly beautiful picture to look upon, with Härö drawing on the cast Irish landscape to amplify the significance of the drama that brings to the big screen with this picture. Cinematographer Robert Nordström picks up the lush and wild hues of the narrative’s setting, and the evocative sound of composer Michelino Bisceglia adds to the temp and emotion of the story that is being told.
My Sailor, My Love is a quiet narrative of romantic longing. It’s a story that is expressed through the actions of its principal cast, and audiences will feel its emotions deeply.
Image: Signature Entertainment