One of my most anticipated films to premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival was Charlie Harper. This intimate indie is a project that I have been following for nearly two years. Mac Eldridge and Tom Dean make their directorial debut with a film that revisits the relationship between Charlie (Nick Robinson) and Harper (Emilia Jones) as they navigate the complexities of life and love.
There have been hundreds, if not thousands, of films about love and relationships. The genre covers a wide range of stories, from cheesy teen dramas to Academy Award winners, and it yet the genre still remains popular because these stories are often relatable. Almost everyone has experienced love in some form, which makes the subject universal.
Charlie Harper is a portrait of love and heartbreak told with remarkable honesty. It follows two people who are deeply in love, yet as time passes their paths and priorities change. As they grow and mature as individuals, their relationship struggles to keep up with those changes. The film beautifully captures the stages of love, and thanks to raw, affecting performances from Emilia Jones and Nick Robinson, it is impossible not to become emotionally invested in their story.
I truly appreciated the decision to make the film a non-linear love story. This structure allows the viewer to feel more invested in the characters while also demanding that they pay close attention to the craft of filmmaking. Charlie and Harper’s story unfolds across three different periods of time, each with its own distinct look and feel. One standout choice was the use of varying aspect ratios. One of my favorite films in recent memory, Trey Edward Shults’ Waves, used a similar technique to elevate its story. Charlie Harper achieves something similar, using these shifts in aspect ratio to capture particular moments in the characters’ lives. Not every viewer will notice these details, but for those who appreciate the art of filmmaking, these choices add depth and resonance to the film.
People often say that love stories are full of clichés, but in reality, love and relationships themselves often feel that way. Charlie and Harper clearly love and care for each other. They are not perfect people, but no one is. There is a line in the film about nostalgia that perfectly captures why we watch films about love. We seek them out because we want to reconnect with those feelings, whether it is the rush of falling in love for the first time or the painful realization that a relationship is no longer what we need. Great love stories should spark a reaction and make the viewer feel a wide range of emotions. Charlie Harper makes you remember what it is like to fall in love and to fall out of love.
What I admired most about this film is how grounded and true to life the relationship between Charlie and Harper feels. As people, they change and evolve over time. They come to realize flaws in their behavior and make an effort to address them. They attempt to communicate whenever problems arise, and in doing so, the viewer can better understand why each character feels the way they do. In some ways, Charlie Harper feels like the feature length version of Taylor Swift’s All Too Well.
There are many moments throughout the film when I struggled to hold back tears, but the finale left me an emotional mess. I could not hold them back any longer, and I found the ending both sad and optimistic. Without giving too much away, the dialogue in this closing scene is beautifully written. A line about how it is possible to miss something that hurt so much felt like a gut punch. It was so raw and deeply powerful.
While the script and direction are excellent, Emilia Jones and Nick Robinson are pivotal to the film’s success. As we know, the chemistry between the leads is crucial to any love story, and their connection here is electric. You can feel their bond instantly, which makes it easy for the viewer to invest in their relationship. Charlie and Harper are intelligent characters, but they don’t always see eye to eye in terms of what they want from life. The film also does not shy away from their flaws, showing them engaging in heavy drinking and drug use, yet also depicting their awareness that change is necessary to live a more successful life.
The honesty that Jones and Robinson bring to their roles, combined with the richness of the screenplay and the bold directorial choices, is what makes Charlie Harper stand out in a crowded field of love stories. This film feels like a journey, one where you experience all the stages of love while also confronting the question of what you truly want from life. I loved it.
Grade: 8/10
Awards Buzz: While I felt the performances were absolutely strong enough to deserve awards recognition, this is not the type of film that typically breaks through. At best, I could imagine the Gothams or Independent Spirit Awards taking notice, but with such a crowded field this year, even that possibility feels uncertain.
