Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
When a chance encounter brings together the cynical Dell and the quick-witted Kimberly, the stage is set for a tempestuous love affair that unfolds like a puzzle. As the film zigzags back and forth in time — from a meteor shower in LA, to an encounter in a Paris hotel room, to a fateful phone call — an unforgettable portrait of a relationship emerges.
Comet is a visually distinctive romantic drama that leans heavily on its dreamy, otherworldly cinematography — Sam Golzari shoots with a gauzy, double-exposed aesthetic that gives the film a genuinely singular look, earning it a strong mark there. The nonlinear structure is handled with some ambition, though it occasionally feels more affected than affecting, keeping the plot at a solid but not exceptional level. Justin Long and Emmy Rossum bring energy and chemistry, though the dialogue-heavy scenes sometimes tip into self-conscious cleverness over genuine emotional depth. The film occupies a well-trodden romantic-drama-with-structural-tricks space that recalls Eternal Sunshine and similar fare, limiting its novelty score despite its visual personality. The ending is bittersweet and coherent with the film's tone but doesn't deliver a truly resonant final punch.