Then Came You
2018 · Directed by Peter Hutchings
Original language: English
- comedy
- drama
The story
An American hypochondriac who is working as a baggage handler is forced to confront his fears when a British teenager with a terminal illness enlists him to help her carry out her eccentric bucket list.
What it’s like
Airport concourses, arrivals halls and cramped travel sequences give this film its setting, with a light, sociable comedy running alongside a quieter undercurrent of grief. The mood is warm and wry rather than weepy, with a sentimental streak that stays easy to sit with. Pacing is brisk and episodic, moving from one eccentric errand to the next, and the emotional register swings between banter and tenderness. Its central pairing is a fearful, self-doubting young man and a sharp, defiant teenager, and the arc follows him slowly learning to step outside his anxieties for someone else. Illness is present and discussed openly, but the film is not graphic: there is no violence and no sexual content, and the darkness is handled through dialogue and quiet moments rather than shock. It suits a relaxed evening, a comfort watch on a slow afternoon, or a long-haul flight where a gentle, funny film with a lump in its throat is the right company. It is for viewers who want heart and humour without bleakness, and for anyone who enjoys coming-of-age stories shaped by an unlikely friendship.
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