Margaret Qualley has been an actor to watch since her breakthrough portrayal of Jill Garvey in the acclaimed HBO series “The Leftovers.” She earned Primetime Emmy awards in 2017 and 2022 for her work in, respectively, “Fosse/Verdon” and “Maid,” and nearly lured Brad Pitt’s Cliff Booth to his death as Pussycat in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” She then flaunted her comedic chops in Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke’s quirky black comedies “Honey Don’t!” and “Drive-Away Dolls,” and, given her stunning versatility, seems destined for numerous Academy Award nominations, if not a win. Or two.
Her most recent triumph can be seen in Rachel Morrison’s “Love of Your Life,” which is currently the most watched film on Prime Video. Written by Julia Cox, the romantic drama stars Qualley as Maya, a young Boston nurse who falls hard for a handsome and charming lad named Charlie (Gabriel Basso). They click on just about every level and get married during a monsoon — which, while swooningly perfect, may be a harbinger of things to come. Maya’s work becomes complicated and utterly draining with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, things really take a tragic turn when Charlie, who suffers from asthma, contracts the virus, only to pass away alone in a hospital. (Maya FaceTimes with him until the moment of his death.)
Sounds like a real pick-me-up, right? Maya’s next chapter restores some happiness to her life, but there’s no storybook romance this time out.
Margaret Qualley and Rachel Morrison will make you weep with Love of Your Life
Rachel Morrison, who became the first woman to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography for her work on Dee Rees’ superb “Mudbound,” departs from the grittiness of her directorial debut, the boxing drama “The Fire Inside.” But with an 80% score at Rotten Tomatoes, critics seem to think she’s successfully segued to a wildly different genre with “Love of Your Life.”
After Charlie’s death, Maya moves to Lisbon. There, she drowns her sorrows in booze and attachment-free hook-ups, but her depression is assuaged when she meets gentlemanly divorcé Felix (Aaron Pierre). They seem to be edging their way toward marriage, but complications arise. Maya is still unsettled and heartbroken, and she may not be ready to take this leap again.
Morrison and cinematographer Todd Banhazl make the most of their globe-spanning locations (which include Boston, Lisbon, London, and New Orleans), and Qualley’s deeply moving performance is matched by Basso, Pierre, Patrick Schwarzenegger, and Catherine Keener. If you’re looking for a good, cathartic cry, “Love of Your Life” will almost certainly switch on your waterworks.