The Wake of Light Parent Guide

For Mary (Rome Brooks), every day is very much the same. The devoted daughter spends all her time taking care of her invalid father (William Morton), except for a short trip into town each day to sell water she’s bottled from the family’s well. Her meager earnings, coupled with her Dad’s disability payments, are all the income the young woman has to keep up the aging farm.

A minor change to her regular routine happens one sunny day when she is approached by a handsome stranger. Introducing himself as Cole (Matt Bush), he explains he has been stranded in the small community while waiting for parts to fix his broken car. Alone with nothing to do, he asks if he may accompany Mary on her water-selling rounds. A bit begrudgingly, she agrees. Eventually Cole follows her home and even finagles an invitation to dinner.

Although Mary has been quietly warming up to the chatty visitor, she is a little hesitant to have him meet her ailing parent or see her in her caregiving role. Fortunately, Cole seems to take the situation in stride. And despite some awkwardness on both sides of the attraction, the two meet up again the next day.

At first glance, Mary and Cole appear to be opposites: She has spent her whole life in middle-of-nowhere, USA. He has travelled extensively and is presently working his way across America seeing the sights. Yet in their secret hearts they have a lot in common, including an aversion to really look at how they are spending their time. When Cole asks Mary to join him on his adventure, it sparks a pointed discussion that causes each of them to truly search their souls.

This slow-paced romance moves as gently as a breeze across wheat fields. And while that may be a problem for some viewers, at least the lags are filled with charming montage scenes, pretty photography and beautiful piano music. For a low-budget film, both Brooks and Bush put in good performances. (It is just a little distracting that she appears significantly older than him.) These minor criticisms aside, this movie has little objectionable content for family viewing and features characters making commendable choices. It also poetically uses light as a symbol of inspiration for seeking purpose and meaning in life. Although this genre won’t thrill all moviegoers, this message will resonate with everyone.

About author

Donna Gustafson

Donna Gustafson has been involved with her husband Rod's work since the beginning. Handling many of the behind-the-scenes tasks, she also creates preview pages for up-coming movies, acts as managing editor and occasionally writes reviews.