The Love That Remains 2026 Movie Review
Saw this at the Ghent 2025 filmfestival. In the first half I wondered where all this was heading. I went along with the flow of family and work life. Family life was not annoyingly happy nor were we forced to witness hefty scenes that are bound to happen anytime while a divorce runs it uneasy course. Everyone was nice. The kids were likable too, as the mother admitted, even when noisy.
Instead of the usual cozy and less cozy human interactions, we saw strange and inexplicable things clouding the proceedings, up to a point where I really started wondering what it was all about. Digging a hole in the ground, erecting a pole and attaching all sorts of objects to it?? Shooting arrows at it, eventually hitting one of the kids?? Had all this a point?? Maybe illustrative, but the mother was really on edge in the hospital, calling for and in fact loudly demanding a real doctor. Was it an explosion after keeping up appearances that there was nothing out of the ordinary going on??
Divorces have been filmed before, many times even. I can imagine that it is difficult to find a novel approach to the topic. But it should not go that far that it alienates the audience. Having read several reviews, I am about to start asking myself what I missed. But I don’t continue that path, only to conclude that I want to forget all about this movie and don’t look back.
All in all, a misfire. Finally, a single positive point: The role of the dog Panda is indeed remarkable. It is sad to conclude that this (the dog) is the only memorable aspect of this movie. Some reviewers point to the shots of the island and nature on it, but for that purpose we have other movies and here it is only a by-product.
