Released on March 13, the movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s “Reminders of Him” book was truly compelling due to its themes of forgiveness, the impact of second chances, and the complexity of grief. It captures these intense emotions through Kenna Rowan’s life.
The movie opens with the main character, Kenna, played by Maika Monroe, making a stop to kick down a makeshift memorial cross. She says that Scotty hated memorials. Kenna’s character made this movie worth watching; she captured the intense emotions in the plot. She arrives at a small apartment and then leaves to look for a job, but spots an old friend, Ledger Ward, played by Tyriq Withers. Kenna trudges through each day full of self-resentment and isolation. This is Kenna’s reality after finishing her prison sentence for causing the death of her boyfriend, Scotty Landry, played by Rudy Pankow.
Kenna was pregnant with Scotty’s child before their car incident, and she had their child while she was in prison. She was robbed of her motherhood and forced to give up her parental rights due to Scotty’s parents being given custody immediately after birth. When she returned, her main focus was on meeting her daughter and finding a stable life, but Scotty’s parents forbade visitation due to thinking that Kenna had left Scotty to die.
Ledger was Scotty’s old friend and a family friend, but Scotty’s dad found out about a relationship he had with Kenna. Ledger was originally able to see the child, but Scotty’s parents forbade him from seeing her. After this, Ledger revealed through Kenna’s writing that she had indeed passed out, not left him purposely. They began to understand her and put an end to their resentment. They gave her a second chance, letting her and Ledger visit the child, Diem Landry, played by Zoe Kosovic, who was happy to see her mother. Scotty’s parents finally realized the importance of second chances and forgiveness.
The complexity of grief and acceptance is a major detail in this story and is represented by Kenna. She is expected not to grieve due to causing the crash while impaired. She was forced to endure the trauma alone and began to shame herself for the incident, though she couldn’t help but grieve Scotty. When she is finally allowed to visit her daughter, her own smile helps Kenna smile again. She also used to write letters to Scotty in a notebook, but stopped after falling in love with Ledger and having her daughter. She knows it’s what Scotty would have wanted; she knows she now has a living future rather than talking to a ghost. She begins to accept her new life, knowing that moving on is essential to live it.
Monroe did a great job playing Kenna and captured the complex grief and feelings in the movie. Withers also played Ledger beautifully, showing the first resentment he felt for Kenna as he progressed into seeing the good in her. The two actors overall did well in this movie, and Kosovic was the cherry on top; she captured the innocence of being in a puzzling life at such a young age. She asked Ledger where her mother was, who’d reply that Kenna’s car was too small to drive. Towards the end of the movie, when Kenna and her child unite, Diem says that she finally got a bigger car, a metaphor for the internal growth Kenna endured since she was released.
Overall, this was a great movie that had an intense plot with beautiful symbolism. It represented the themes of forgiveness and the power of second chances through Scotty’s parents and the complexity of grief through Kenna. Ledger and Diem represented a fresh start to life, and remembering not to look back.
