As sappy love stories go, Restless pretty much makes the cut. But unlike most, the story begins on a depressing note of funerals and death, a departure from the usual indie romance plot where boy meets girl, they fall in love after a series of sweet, “couply” moments together that come to a standstill in some form of a devastating climax, ending their momentary bliss.

In this case, the boy, Enoch Brae (Henry Hopper), meets the girl, Annabelle Cotton (Mia Wasikowska), at a funeral that he gatecrashed. Unlike most romance films, the ‘devastating climax’ ­– the female lead is diagnosed with terminal brain cancer –presents itself in a rather casual way during a conversation during a soccer match at the park.

Upon hearing that Annabelle had only three months left to live, Enoch calmly stated that one could do a lot in three months, from learning French to learning how to play the xylophone and he offers to help her cope with the fact and keep her company till the end, promising to bring her the xylophone as well.

However, the withdrawn Enoch has his own demons to deal with. A car accident, on the way back from his Aunt Mabel’s (Jane Adams) award presentation, robbed him of his parents and put him in a coma for 3 months. Until he met Annabelle, he spent the most part wishing that he too died in the car crash, but his suicidal tendencies never saw the light.

To add the unusual mix of personalities in the movie, Enoch plays Battleship with a close friend every night – a WWII kamikaze ghost, to be exact. Seen by Enoch after his first encounter with death, Hiroshi (Ryo Kase) not only appears to be the boy’s only companion in the movie (besides Annabelle), but also serves as a fatherly figure.

Despite their tragic histories, the quirky couple’s love blossoms over a series of unordinary dates that mostly take place in various parts of the hospital (a morgue on their first date) or on a bench along an unfrequented river, usually accompanied by Hiroshi.

Wasikowska fits Annabelle’s pleasant demeanour to a tee and complements it with her own subtly witty personality, despite the character’s impending death and alcoholic mother (Lusia Strus). She claims, “if it’s not fine, then it’ll be fine”. She takes everyday within her stride, choosing to “sing” rather than weep. Wasikowska references songbirds that sing everyday, as they’re “just happy not to be dead” after expecting to die with each sunset.

Things aren’t that bright and cheery with the other Cotton girl. Schuyler Fisk plays Annabelle’s older sister, Elizabeth, where she reveals her uptight and almost prudish side. Her character has taken on the role of mother in the family – cooking dinner, sending her for hospital checkups, questions her about Enoch.

The couple’s quirky antics make it a light-hearted film despite the apparent theme of death, with a few witty comments slipped in during the harsher scenes that elicited laughter from the audience on more than one occasion.

Have a pack of tissues at hand, as the bittersweet love story is definitely a tearjerker, yet a feel-good movie on a whole. As far as independent films go, this one is worth time as we could possibly learn a thing or two from the characters’ almost-childish optimism despite their encounters with life’s greatest fear.

Movie: Restless
Rating: 3/5
Opens: Dec 1
Duration: 91 mins
Language: English
Age Rating: PG
Genre: Drama, Romance

Director: Gus Van Sant
Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Henry Hopper, Ryo Kase