I Love You Like Crazy

The story about love is better told in segments; broken up as memories. The good overshadowed by shouting, demands, jealousy. In the film Like Crazy, Anna (Felicity Jones) and Jacob's (Anton Yelchin) relationship is told through impeccable editing and silent moments of emotion. The film portrays the innocence of blossoming love as it occurs in reality. The stolen glances are so poignant, they demand attention above the beautiful dialogue. Although Anna's writing puts my finest prose to shame ("The halves that half us into halves"), I could not tear my attention away from Yelchin's gleaming eye-line and Jones's youthful sincerity.

Both actors encompass the journey of longing, love, jealousy, jaded anxiety, exhaustive annoyance, exuberant playfulness and overall struggle with communication. There were moment during the film when I felt connected to each snapshot of their on/off relationship. My only disconnect being I'm not British (damn...) and therefore I do not have a problem with my Visa. Other than Anna's citizenship issues, I became emotionally invested through my similarities to her character. Every gesture in Anna's incommunicado armory made me cringe for each of my exes.

If you have never seen yourself act in a horrible manner, I suggest you find the film that speaks to you as Like Crazy did me. I saw myself as my ex did and felt excruciating pain for him. Even I was perpetually annoyed with Anna when she pulled the oh-so-common girl shrug when she wanted her man to read her mind. I myself have weaponized that shrug to maim and torture (Not on purpose, of course...). Anna has made me wish for 2 things:

1) I wish to apologize to any man I have ever been in a relationship with.

2) Although I have started on this track for the past year, I wish to never be THAT girl again. I shall forever remember this film if I ever succumb to the need to be petty and spiteful again.

So, Thank You Anna.

Now the film was not depressing, anxious, or self loathing. In fact, Like Crazy portrays the heartbreaking with the joyful side by side. A portrayal that is truthful and performed with such sweetness and sincerity that I wanted to hug both characters, just for adversing through so much pain in order to live glimpses of happiness. With any story of love, it's a merry-go-round of emotions. Never ending, and if it's all worth it, never getting off.