Movie Review: Finding You
Movie Review: Finding You
25 May 2021
Finding You is delightfully set in Ireland, giving viewers a cinematic backdrop to the love story and individual becoming of actor Beckett (Jedidiah Goodacre) and violinist Finley (Rose Reid).
In my opinion, there’s no better way to unwind than by watching a light romantic comedy on a Friday night. Finding You, the new movie based on the successful young adults novel, There You’ll Find Me, by Jenny B. Jones, is just the ticket to the ideal movie night – albeit with a bit more depth.
Young violinist Finley Sinclair gains a new appreciation for her craft when she learns how to play with joy, courtesy of a local fiddler experiencing homelessness.
So, what makes this slightly predictable, yet nonetheless enjoyable romantic drama different from the rest, you ask? Well, aside from the fact it remains tasteful, it is set in Ireland and has a thin, faith-based thread weaved through the narrative.
Our hero is Finley Sinclair (Rose Reid), an accomplished violinist who is grieving the loss of her brother. After she fails an audition, she is gutted and left questioning her life’s purpose. So, her mother sends her to stay with relatives at a family inn in Ireland, hoping she will ‘discover herself’ like her late brother did before he passed away.
Granted, an international flight without any COVID safety is utterly unbelievable right now – but as a lover of rom-coms, I have learned to hold reality is a state of suspension for 90-minute intervals, and I was richly rewarded. Because not only do we experience the sights and sounds of a small Irish town through this film, but we meet her love interest on the flight over – a womanising, arrogant film star named Beckett Rush (Jedidiah Goodacre from Disney’s Descendants).
Finley can’t stand the movie star and is quick to brush off his arrogant small talk. But of course, things change when we find out Beckett is also staying at her family’s inn, and it seems there is more to this actor than the tabloids say.
Finding You goes deeper than your average romantic drama when Finley and Beckett meet the town outcast Cathleen Sweeney (played by Vanessa Redgrave).
The collision of these endearing characters makes for a comfortably orchestrated coming-of-age love story. And, cleverly, this romantic film gives an ironic nod to the poorly acted and written teen dramas of our time by showing how much Beckett hates acting as a sub-standard dragon slayer who saves the princess (really).
The moments Finding You goes beyond shallow (but enjoyable) tropes, happens when we see raw emotion from the characters. We see this vividly in Finley’s need to achieve as a violinist and her desperate pursuit to understand the last message her brother left in Ireland. And, for Beckett, it appears in his reactive stonewalling when his emotionally abusive father (and manager) gives him an ultimatum about his career and happiness. Movingly, we also observe this true-to-life emotion when Finley meets a bitter lady who is dying from cancer and seeks to reconcile her to the community.
These moments of depth make Finding You something more than a feel-good chick flick. And with a very subtle faith narrative revolving around her brother's death, it makes for a heart-warming and pleasing story.
If you enjoyed The Fault In Our Stars or A Walk To Remember, then Finding You is your go-to this Friday night. And if you want to take away something deeper than your average mindless rom-com, it’s a reminder that the only one who can truly fulfil us is God – and in finding him, we find ourselves.
Finding You is rated PG for language and thematic elements. It is out in cinemas now.
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