Coming to select theaters on September 22nd and to streaming platforms on October 24th, the new film, My Sailor, My Love treats the audience to a touching love story almost doomed by resentment.
Howard (James Cosmo) lived his life at sea but was forced to retire when he had a stroke aboard his ship. When his wife died, he was left alone in his home on the coast of Ireland, overlooking the sea but no solace came to Howard and he neglected himself, much to his daughter, Grace’s (Catherine Walker) chagrin.
Grace and her husband, Martin (Aidan O’Hare) tried their best to help Howard, but their kindness went unappreciated. Appalled at her father’s living conditions, Grace hires Annie (Brid Brennan) as a twice-a-week housekeeper.
At first, Howard wants nothing to do with Annie, a curmudgeon wallowing in his grief and feeling like her presence in his home is an imposition. But when she rescues his captain’s uniform from the trash where he’s thrown it, and has it dry-cleaned, he begins to soften to her collection of small kindnesses.
Little by little, Howard and Annie, grow closer together and fall in love. She moves in with him and he welcomes her large family into his life and experiences a sort of rebirth. Trouble is brewing, however, when he fails to tell Grace what’s happening. She shows up unannounced for Christmas, expecting to find her father alone. Instead, she finds Annie’s family and her Dad enjoying a lovely Christmas dinner. Grace’s resentment skyrockets and the audience is left wondering if Howard and Grace will ever reconcile.
My Sailor, My Love, a gentle story of love late in life and the complex family dynamics that can come with it, reminded me a little of my own experience. My grandmother remarried one of her best friends after both my grandfather and the best friend’s wife passed away. Although not to the stage Grace exhibited, my Dad had difficulty with the change in his mother’s relationship at first, but he came around to respecting Grandma’s freedom to make her own choices and to have love around her.
That’s where Grace fell short. She thought she knew what was best for Howard. She wanted to control his life. At the beginning he may have needed it, but once Annie came into his life, Howard’s newfound love helped him to take back control. Of course, Howard was partially at fault, never expressing any appreciation for Grace’s care, even as she was dealing with difficulties in her own relationships.
My Sailor, My Love reminds us to respect the choices of others, especially our loved ones, even if we may not agree. We can’t control someone else’s life as much as we may try. The film also bids us to show appreciation and gratitude for the care others bestow on us. Through being grateful, we are pulled out of our own problems and cares to acknowledge the good around us.
