Despite acknowledging the mutability of our lives, we plan so much of them beforehand, only to live some of the most cherished, best moments just acting on our instincts. Actor Julia Stiles’ directorial debut, Wish You Were Here, an adaptation of Renee Carlino’s novel of the same name, focuses on some of the fleeting perfect moments of life through the story of star-crossed lovers, Adam and Charlotte. Despite meandering through a route of passion, separation, reconciliation, and heartbreak, which romance movie watchers are way too familiar with at this point—the movie stands strong thanks to the beautiful chemistry between the leads, Isabella Fuhrman and Mena Massoud. Wish You Were Here manages to pull at your heartstrings by presenting a very relatable, aching love story that—perhaps keeping in pace with the times we are living in—moves rapidly, is emotionally turbulent, does away with expectations and burdens, and leaves you with a bittersweet memory.
Spoilers Ahead
Life Changes Within A Night
In her late twenties, Charlotte’s life is rather uneventful and is drifting on its own. She doesn’t have a definite career plan, is making ends meet as an underpaid, overworked waitress at a local restaurant, and her love life is practically non-existent. The last aspect is a reason for concern for her best friend/roommate, Helen, and for Charlotte’s eccentric, overbearing mother, whose disregard for her personal space is her way of caring for her daughter. At the request of their mother, Charlotte’s brother, Chucky, has made an online dating profile for her—even though Charlotte herself doesn’t feel that she is ready to commit to a relationship right about now.
One night, as a drunk Helen and Charlotte leisurely chat outside their apartment building, they stumble across Adam, a young techie who randomly offers them his takeout and seems to take a liking to Charlotte at first glance. Charlotte tries to ignore him on the first occasion, but later the duo notice he seems to be lost, which prompts Charlotte to approach him to help. Sparks fly as they speak with each other, and as Adam asks Charlotte out, Helen practically implores her to go with him. I guess real-life concerns about random strangers don’t really apply that much given it’s a romantic movie.
At times, people are forced to live life together while having no real connection between them, and sometimes, total strangers can connect with each other so strongly,which a lifetime of togetherness couldn’t compare. Adam and Charlotte bond in no time. Adam introduces her to his passion for painting as he draws a mural on a wall—a scene dominated by pensive shades of blue, holding a heart within—symbolizing Charlotte’s presence in his life. As he invites Charlotte over to his rented apartment, the duo spend a night imagining a beautiful fantasy—a future together. Without any one of them knowing, the allure of the fantasy slowly takes hold of their minds. The next morning, the all-too-perfect budding romance comes to an abrupt end, as seeing Adam in certain discomfort, Charlotte shows concern, only to be reminded by Adam about the boundaries that exist between them. Taken aback by the dismissive behavior, Charlotte returns to her apartment, and Helen consoles her, asking her to simply forget their interaction by considering it a simple one-night stand. Helen even goes on to randomly contact Seth, a simple, kind fella from Charlotte’s profile, and fixes a date to help her best friend move on. However, Charlotte finds herself drawn to the memories of the night she spent with Adam again and again. She sees the mural has been updated with images of paper dolls—which shocks her, given she had shared with Adam that her father called her a paper doll. Charlotte is conflicted as he believes Adam is either using her story for his personal motives or he is trying to send her a message. Adam seemingly vanished from Charlotte’s life as suddenly as he had appeared, but the lingering effects of their interaction continued to live on in their lives.
Spending a Lifetime in Moments
Helen finds her soulmate in Seth’s friend, Roddy, and within days, she is ready to move in with him – leaving Charlotte heartbroken. Perhaps it’s the whimsical nature of love that the movie tries to showcase, which is characterized by Helen’s love life with Roddy. Seeing Charlotte hesitant and unwilling to pursue a romantic relationship with Seth, her mother shares her experience about how, in the late stages of her life, the memories she had shared with her husband are the only thing sustaining her jubilant, lively attitude.
Charlotte agrees to go on a walk with Seth, only to be reminded of Adam as the mural has been updated yet again—this time with what seems to be Adam’s self-portrait—where the portion of the head appears to be fading away. Charlotte realizes the significance of the imagery when Stacy, one of Adam’s friends, shares a letter addressed to her by Adam—which conveys he is terminally ill owing to a brain tumor that has been recently operated on. This explains why Adam appeared lost the first time Charlotte met him, or the visual hints in his apartment, which implied he might be suffering from amnesia.
A distraught Charlotte meets Adam, now bedridden in a hospital, a mere shadow of his former self. Adam confesses that that night, living the make believe fantasy with Charlotte was too real for him, and despite knowing his days were numbered, he felt alive once again, and experienced the fear of death anew. The reason he kept this news from Charlotte is because he believed she would either loathe him or pity his predicament, neither of which he wanted, as it would pollute the purity of the connection they had in those fleeting moments. When he realized the agony of reality would not subside, he regretted not having met Charlotte sooner, and having pushed her away—all the while hoping she would one day return.
Charlotte lacked a sense of purpose, owing to her directionless life, and in a way, she found it by trying to make the final days of the person she loved as memorable as she could. Taking permission from the nurse, Charlotte sneaked Adam outside to spend time together, making up for all the lost moments they couldn’t have for themselves. Charlotte’s family showed concern; her father, despite being extremely supportive, was anxious whether Charlotte would end up losing herself in the doomed love, which would only end in heartbreak. Despite having every reason to walk away, Charlotte sacrificed her emotions and feelings to give Adam a few moments of respite from his physical and mental agony. Helen gets engaged to Roddy and pays a visit to Adam, acknowledging her friend, Charlotte, for the incredible bravery and resilience she has shown in the worst of times.
Adam proposed to Charlotte in his own way, writing it on the mural—the testament of their love—and Charlotte accepted. The lovers spend their honeymoon enjoying the vast deep blue on a yacht, and their conversation veers towards the concept of death. Despite having such an imaginative mind, Adam only thinks of nothingness when he speculates about death—perhaps his vivid imagination has been marred by the thoughts of mortality. Charlotte, on the other hand, believes death is not the end; in the vein of her mother’s thoughts, she believes the memories we hold on to our loved ones make them truly immortal—a sentiment with which all of us who have lost someone close can relate.
Will Charlotte Be Able To Move On?
The cruel whims of time cut short the bliss the lovers were experiencing, and Adam’s passing is painfully showcased through the scraping of his mural. Charlotte is a mess, as she cloisters herself in a cocoon of inexpressible emotions, pain, and remorse. Her family tries to reach her in vain, for what it’s worth; her mother mentions how their love, as brief and spontaneous as it was, didn’t let her experience the burdens that come when two persons fall for each other. At last, Helen helps Charlotte to go through her pain bit by bit, and by the time Helen’s wedding comes up, Charlotte has been able to muster enough courage to go outside and socialize. The title of the movie is Charlotte Wishing Adam’s Presence by Her Side at the End.
In Wish You Were Here’s ending, Seth approaches Charlotte at Helen’s wedding, and despite knowing she has given her heart to someone else, he shares his belief about starting over. Perhaps it’s the promise Charlotte made to Adam about moving on and finding happiness that lets her accept Seth’s hand for a dance, or perhaps she was able to heed her own advice and knew the love she had for Adam would act as his remembrance forever—whatever the reason might be, Charlotte is hinted to be in a better mental shape by the end of the movie. As Adam’s monologue addressed to Charlotte’s future partner conveys his protective, loving feelings for her, the movie ends with showing Charlotte to be able to laugh once again. She is ready to take the next step in her life, holding a memorial of the love she and Adam shared with each other all the while.
