I thought it was terrific. Katie Holmes' performance was exceptional in my opinion. I'm not really familiar with her acting but I was blown away. She was beyond convincing in the role. The facial expressions, the sadness and torment in her eyes. I felt it. I'm surprised at alot of the low reviews on this film. Can't please everyone I suppose. Great acting all around. Julia was terrific. Not familiar with her until this role. I'm familiar with Alan Cumming - great actor. It kept my interest. I didn't pause it which is rare for me. Lol. I looked up the movies she's been in and there are a ton of them! I look forward to more of Katie's work. Recommend it.

Seeing as this is miss Holmes first film as director I didn't expect it to be perfect. At points it does feel more like a play then a movie but the ambition of the story is to be admired. The acting is great and it has alot of heart. Its major issues are its tv show style footage and its lack of scenes that have cinematography with a creative spark. It isnt perfect but I can't wait to see more. It reminds me alot of most directors first movies in that respect, the director has to act and be behind the camera playing a intergral role which forces them to have to make simple choice in order to make it work.

I watched this while also.reading the book. Acting was good, performances were authentic, but I was so disappointed with the modernization of the story. Part of the charm and appeal of the novel was the post-WW2 setting, The nuances between the class differences & immigrants was somewhat present, but no where close to that found on the page. All of that said, this is a story that does make us all stop and listen. Cummings shines as the antique store owner, I also appreciated that the trigger-worthy moments were not dwelt on, but shared only enough to set context. Overall, a thoughtful movie that would have been better served set in the appropriate decade.

There are several stories going on here but the central one is a college student called Benita, she lives with her single mom, there is no hint of a father. She attends CUNY and hopes to get a degree in Economics. She views it as something that will allow her to get a decent job. But something traumatic happens after she meets a seemingly nice stranger at a bar. It disrupts her entire existence. She gets help, ends up in a facility that treats people with emotional and/or drug and alcohol issues. When she gets out she does not tell her mom about it all, but does say she is "taking a break" from college. Katie Holmes co-wrote the screenplay and directs it. She also has a prime role as a woman of a wealthy family but who has no control of her life. She and Benita meet at the facility and become friends. Benita is determined to get her life back on track, she interviews for a job working in a store that sells antique items to wealthy customers. Her boss is played by Alan Cumming. My wife and I watched it on DVD from our public library. The whole movie has an unusual feel to it, including how relationships are handled. Still it was an enjoyable watch as something different, and to see how the various dynamics worked out.

It's not what I anticipated but also not dreadful or ambiguous as some reviews imply. The writing feels unfocused and messy but perhaps it's intentional to reflect that life is messy (there's a line spoken that says as much). Not hard to follow, it's a fairly basic plot but feels hollow in delivery and drags in parts that are unnecessary to move the story forward or hang too long on moments after the point is made. The subject matter is emotionally heavy (has grit and opportunity to explore deeper) yet the vibe is too light, lacking substance. We get glimpses of why Belita is broken and about Diana's mental health issues but too much is left unsaid, unexplored. There is a conclusion for both women yet I feel unsatisfied with the story. Slow movie but fast wrap up is how it feels. I would've been fine if I skipped it. Not worth watching. It's not good, not bad, just blah.

The protagonist is a lovely actress, and Alan Cummings is adorable, but the drama is predictable and lacking. I have not read the book but I was hoping that this film was really going to unpack the trauma of sexual assault victims. Instead it focuses more on Holmes' character, a bipolar/schizophrenic addict who fidgets a lot, and her relationship with Benita. In fact their surface level friendship takes up a good portion of the film but it's not terribly interesting. They have a couple of giggly late night chat sessions, get drunk a couple of times, and wax poetic about life, but other than being broken, which apparently every character is in some capacity, I don't see what they have in common. I'm a trauma victim, I just don't see bonding over mental illness as a positive thing. I also really disliked how preachy this film feels, characters constantly drop feel good lines about beauty, honesty and rebirth, it feels like a Pinterest board full of inspirational quotes, and they like to show broken objects constantly to remind you of how broken the characters are, but unlike objects people cannot be repaired with some gold epoxy resin. And that's the big drawback here, a woman who was raped almost never discusses or receives therapy for it, and we're suppose to believe she picks up and moves on. Sexual trauma is a life time affliction, and it would take way longer for this woman to acclimate post trauma than it depicts in the film. It honestly undermines the severity of mental health in pursuit of touting some flowery speech and feel good moments. I think Katie Holmes would have been better sticking to Pinterest.

I am giving this movie a higher rating simply because the movie resonates with where I am in life, coming to terms with a lot of grief and hard emotions. This movie forced me to slow down and think and feel my own experiences. The movie was slow, there was a lot of room for improvement but I thought it was really beautiful. There was this uncomfortable tension amongst all the characters that was felt and added a certain electricity. It was completely different than expected but much appreciated from my own perspective. This movie won't be for everyone as the ratings reflect. I would have loved a little more development and dialogue.

The tale of two damaged women from different socio economic backgrounds weaves slowly through the streets of New York and an interesting curio shop. Since character development takes time, the pace was appropriate and and created a beautiful tapestry of pain, hope, forgiveness and the chance at happiness. Just like life. I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes foreign and art films. It truly was an interesting take on life and mental illness. The acting was excellent and the actress playing Bonita is someone I will now look for in future films. Kati Holmes' character was so vulnerable you could feel her pain.

Benita Parla (Julia Mayorga) is struggling after trauma. She finds possible safe harbor in an antique store owned by Peter Kessler (Alan Cumming) and Diana Van der Laar (Katie Holmes) who is dealing with mental illness. Katie Holmes is the director and co-writer. This is the first of her as either that I've seen. I'm not a big fan of her acting since her Dawson's Creek days. I like the lead and some others although Katie's acting remains an issue. As a director/writer, at least she's trying to do something different. The slow pacing really gets to me. I have difficulties with this film. This movie either speaks to you or not. I'm not hearing it.

I should have turned it off after the first 15 minutes but I really wanted to give it a chance. I stopped it multiple times to do more exciting stuff like laundry. This movie made me realize what a horrible actress Katie Holmes is. It was cringy to watch her play the role of a mentally unstable woman. I don't think she prepared at all for this role. She used her typical smirky smile and a ton of giggling throughout the movie to pass off as acting. The director should have given better directions but then she was the director. Not one character was likable and the storyline and relationships felt extremely forced, it all looked like poor acting.