To Love Someone

Hindered by an almost unreasonably deliberate pace, To Love Someone never quite becomes the searing drama one imagines it’s meant to be – though there’s certainly no denying the originality of the film’s storyline. The movie follows a couple whose seemingly happy existence is shattered when the woman’s abusive ex is released from prison, as said woman (Sofia Ledarp’s Lena), despite warnings from her friends and family, finds herself compelled to find out for herself if his rehabilitation changed him. As a portrait of a battered woman, To Love Someone undoubtedly succeeds; the film offers up a complex, decidedly unsentimental look at the psychological ramifications of spousal abuse. And because we find out right in the first scene that Lena dies, there’s an underlying vibe of mystery here that effectively holds the viewer’s interest even through some of the more overtly torpid interludes. Screenwriter Kim Fupz Aakeson doles out small clues relating to Lena’s impending demise – in addition to the mere presence of her abuser, the character is also suffering from strange dizzy spells – and the reveal regarding her fate is left for the film’s final few minutes. To Love Someone ultimately benefits from the inclusion of that mystery, though there’s certainly no overlooking the effectiveness of Ledarp’s searing performance.

**1/2 out of ****