Jacob and Anna meet in college. She is a British student in an unnamed Los Angeles college which Jacob is also attending, although his field is design. Anna likes Jacob; he appears to be a shy young man who will not take the first step to ask Anna out on a date. Never fear, Anna takes the first step in approaching him. She decides to leave a note she has written on his windshield hoping he will see it. Fortunately, Jacob likes what he reads and he takes an instant liking to the bold English girl with no hangups.
What follows is their romance. It blossoms because both are madly in love with one another. Since it is the end of the semester, Anna has planned to return to England, not even thinking she would be romantically involved with Jacob. Then, there is a problem with her student visa; she must return to her country when it expires at the end of the college term. Anna, without thinking much about the complications, decides to overstay so she can spend time with her new American boyfriend.
Unfortunately, Anna finds out in the worst way she will not get a new visa to come back to Los Angeles. Jacob, who has started his design project, must go to see her in London. The only solution is to get married and apply for a different kind of visa, but Anna's mistake in violating the terms of the visa, becomes the victim of her own doing when the American consulate reject her application.
The long distance between the lovers conspires to strain their relationship. Jacob finds solace with his lovely assistant, Sam, who clearly loves him. Anna, back in London, meets Simon, a young man that appears to adore her, but knowing full well the situation she is dealing with. After overcoming many obstacles, Jacob and Anna are reunited, but it is a bittersweet reunion. Has everything changed in the way they felt about one another? Do both lovers have regrets now they are together. Such is the ambiguous ending in this new project by director Drake Doremus.
"Like Crazy" is not your typical Hollywood young romance picture where everything gets resolved like by magic. Mr. Doremus and his co- screenplay writer, Ben York Jones, do not go for easy solutions. In fact, we are lead to believe the romance of Jacob and Anna, so real and so intense, kind of got sidetracked because of the obstacles that came unexpectedly along the way. In many ways, this film makes more sense than in movies of this genre that are sugar coated so that viewers get a good feeling coming out of the theater. Mr. Doremus is more interested in leaving the audience wondering whether the couple will make it, or not.
What the director got was great acting from his two principals. Felicity Jones is clearly a promising actress quite at home in the theater, or in films, or any other media. She is a fresh face that is easy to like in whatever she gets involved. Anton Yelchin, on the other hand, has grown up right in front of our eyes and now is a young actor that delivers in every new appearance. The wonderful Jennifer Lawrence, makes an impressive Sam in her limited time on screen. Same goes for Charley Bewley's Simon.
John Guleserian, the cinematographer, does wonders with his camera. He enhances the production with his work. Dustin O'Halloran contributed the music score. Drake Doremus gives us a more realistic story that in other hands would have turned to mush.
What follows is their romance. It blossoms because both are madly in love with one another. Since it is the end of the semester, Anna has planned to return to England, not even thinking she would be romantically involved with Jacob. Then, there is a problem with her student visa; she must return to her country when it expires at the end of the college term. Anna, without thinking much about the complications, decides to overstay so she can spend time with her new American boyfriend.
Unfortunately, Anna finds out in the worst way she will not get a new visa to come back to Los Angeles. Jacob, who has started his design project, must go to see her in London. The only solution is to get married and apply for a different kind of visa, but Anna's mistake in violating the terms of the visa, becomes the victim of her own doing when the American consulate reject her application.
The long distance between the lovers conspires to strain their relationship. Jacob finds solace with his lovely assistant, Sam, who clearly loves him. Anna, back in London, meets Simon, a young man that appears to adore her, but knowing full well the situation she is dealing with. After overcoming many obstacles, Jacob and Anna are reunited, but it is a bittersweet reunion. Has everything changed in the way they felt about one another? Do both lovers have regrets now they are together. Such is the ambiguous ending in this new project by director Drake Doremus.
"Like Crazy" is not your typical Hollywood young romance picture where everything gets resolved like by magic. Mr. Doremus and his co- screenplay writer, Ben York Jones, do not go for easy solutions. In fact, we are lead to believe the romance of Jacob and Anna, so real and so intense, kind of got sidetracked because of the obstacles that came unexpectedly along the way. In many ways, this film makes more sense than in movies of this genre that are sugar coated so that viewers get a good feeling coming out of the theater. Mr. Doremus is more interested in leaving the audience wondering whether the couple will make it, or not.
What the director got was great acting from his two principals. Felicity Jones is clearly a promising actress quite at home in the theater, or in films, or any other media. She is a fresh face that is easy to like in whatever she gets involved. Anton Yelchin, on the other hand, has grown up right in front of our eyes and now is a young actor that delivers in every new appearance. The wonderful Jennifer Lawrence, makes an impressive Sam in her limited time on screen. Same goes for Charley Bewley's Simon.
John Guleserian, the cinematographer, does wonders with his camera. He enhances the production with his work. Dustin O'Halloran contributed the music score. Drake Doremus gives us a more realistic story that in other hands would have turned to mush.