Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
A young journalist in London becomes obsessed with a series of letters she discovers that recounts an intense star-crossed love affair from the 1960s.
The Last Letter from Your Lover is a handsomely mounted dual-timeline romance based on Jojo Moyes's novel. Its nonlinear structure — cutting between a 1960s illicit affair and a present-day journalist piecing together the story — is competently executed but feels familiar in the genre of epistolary, period-set love stories. The 1960s French Riviera and London settings are photographed with genuine warmth and period elegance, giving the film its strongest asset. Felicity Jones and Shailene Woodley bring credibility to their roles, though the film rarely pushes the performances to exceptional heights. The plot hits expected romantic drama beats — forbidden love, tragedy, obsession, redemption — without much deviation from formula, and the ending resolves in the satisfying but predictable manner audiences of the genre anticipate. Novelty is limited; the film is earnest and well-crafted but occupies well-trodden territory.