She Came to Me Parent Guide

To say that “art imitates life” is an understatement for Steven Lauddem (Peter Dinklage). Crippled by anxiety, the composer has been unable to pen anything following his highly successful opera five years ago. Finally, his exasperated wife, Patricia (Anne Hathaway) orders him to take a walk and clear his head. When his feet turn towards a bar, he encounters Katrina (Marisa Tomei), a tugboat captain with a romance addiction. A fling on her boat kickstarts Steven’s creativity, and he soon composes an opera based on the events of that afternoon.

Movies about tortured artists are a dime a dozen, but She Came to Me wisely broadens its story beyond Steven’s musical challenges. Katrina gets a sympathetic portrayal as a broken person, scarred by past hurts but still capable of kindness. The script makes space for Patricia and looks compassionately at her obsession with cleanliness, organization, and decluttering. She’s not stereotyped as “the controlling wife”; she’s a real person whose need for calm minimalism is pushing her life in new directions. The narrative also expands to include Patricia’s son, Julian (Evan Ellison) and his girlfriend, Tereza (Harlow Jane), whose relationship will bring new challenges to their parents.

This movie demonstrates the perks and perils to having multiple storylines. On the plus side, they flesh out the characters and make the story feel richer. Alternatively, the main story can get lost in the shuffle, which occasionally happens here. If you think of this as an ensemble tale instead of a simple narrative, it’s much easier to enjoy.

Fans of the movie will appreciate the excellent performances delivered by Peter Dinklage and Anne Hathaway. His mournful eyes and her brittle busyness drive home their characters. The script is charmingly quirky and it’s just weird enough not to sink into the beige, bland mold of so many films. The risk with offbeat films is that they often lack mass appeal, and I’m pretty sure She Came to Me isn’t going to be a blockbuster that will dominate the local multiplex and inspire legions of fans.

Also problematic is the film’s negative content, some of which is hardwired into the script. Adultery is a key plot element as is teen sex, with unexpected consequences in both cases. There is no graphic nudity or explicit sexual activity on screen, but couples embrace in bed and sex is implied. The most problematic moment for me is the seduction scene: it raises issues about full and free consent and would likely cause outrage were the sexes reversed. The negative content is particularly disappointing because it strikes a sour note in what could otherwise by a wry, compassionate look at the joys and challenges of human relationships.