Restless: 'Love Conquers All'

NOVI (WWJ) - Restless is a gripping and emotional love story. A love story that is so touching, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't help but shed a few tears. Alright, lots of tears.

Restless stars Mia Wasikowska as Annabel Cotton and Henry Hopper as Enoch Brae. Annabel is a beautiful, terminally ill cancer patient with a love for nature, while Enoch passes his time attending funerals for people he doesn't even know. He is no longer interested in life after an accident claims the lives of his parents. His best friend is Hiroshi (Ryō Kase), who – it just so happens – is the ghost of a Kamikaze fighter pilot. Annabel and Enoch meet by chance at a funeral.

While Enoch is at first reluctant to open himself up to Annabel's friendship, the two eventually become practically inseparable and even find themselves falling in love. Once Enoch learns that Annabel is dying, he offers to help her face her last days. She agrees and the two begin a journey that finds them both living life to the fullest. But, with two very different personalities, their relationship is not without its complications, particularly as Annabel draws nearer to her life's end.

Restless tackles a tough subject – knowing one's last day is near – with dignity and grace. "It was the beautiful love story that interested me," says Director Gus Van Sant. "It's a love story that is about a new relationship formed outside the family at a time that it is impossible for the family members to face the sadness of losing a loved one."

While Restless revolves around Annabel and her certain death, it's Henry Hopper's Enoch who's at the center of the story. Hopper is the son of the late actor-writer-director Dennis Hopper. Of taking on the role of Enoch, the younger Hopper says, "I wanted a project that I felt passionately about. When I read the screenplay, I was emotionally struck by the characters and their situations. It deals with being a young person in a very refreshing way. It's about the youthful meanderings, progression, the learning to grow with another person. That's what makes it compelling."

Although Hopper comes from a family of actors, at the age of 21, Restless is his first professional acting job. Wasikowska, also 21, has been a performer since the age of 9. She's appeared in the HBO series "In Treatment," in the Ed Zwick film "Defiance," "Amelia," starring Hilary Swank and Richard Gere, and most recently in the acclaimed "Jane Eyre," opposite Jamie Bell. In 2010, she had the title role in "Alice In Wonderland."

The cast of Restless also includes Schuyler Fisk as Annabel's sister, Elizabeth Cotton; Jane Adams as Mabel; Chin Han as Dr. Sam Lee; and Lusia Strus as Rachel Cotton.

Restless is a true gem. It is a beautifully made film with a timeless message. Make sure you jump at the opportunity to see it. And, be sure to have plenty of tissue with you when you do.

Restless is rated PG-13.

View the Restless trailer here.

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