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Director Augustine Frizzell gently guides us through a romance that unfolds decades late in her film Your Lover's Last Letter.
Felicity Jones is radiant playing the temptress Ellie, a 1960s London socialite embroiled in an illicit romance that is simultaneously revealed to us through flashbacks and present-day journalistic intrigue.
Joe Alwyn is charming in his role as the aristocrat Jennifer and Ellie fall for with both playfulness and poignancy. Their chemistry remains viscerally poignant despite the intervening decades.
Frizzell's exquisite period textures, from fashion to décor, pay homage while inviting modern minds to fully invest in Ellie and Anthony's doomed love through his empathetic lens.
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This bittersweet Valentine's Day treat is the perfect escape for pandemic times and cements Frizzell as a master storyteller of lives that slip through historical seams, leaving her unique stamp with this well-crafted swoon.
Delicate, tender and poignant in equal parts, The Last Letter is a reminder of what true cinematic romance can achieve for an attentive audience. A charming addition to the genre and an auspicious step forward for its talented director.
Felicity Jones and Shailene Woodley both received Golden Globe nominations for their dual lead performances in different time periods.
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Although not a box office success, The Last Letter from Your Lover triumphed as a Valentine's Day release on Netflix in early 2021, becoming one of the most popular films of the season.
Its 1970s London setting and costumes also received BAFTA consideration, noting how director Frizzell's period art transported viewers.
With a modest estimated budget of $30 million, it ranked among the most-watched Netflix films of the year worldwide, with more than 51 million household views in its first four weeks.
Demonstrating the enduring strength of the romance genre, The Last Letter continues to captivate new subscribers every day and introduce the nuanced talent of Augistine Frizzell to a wider audience.