— along with a thoughtfully in-sync supporting cast — keep things unfolding in a kind-hearted place when the screenplay could have easily marooned the audience in a copycat purgatory.
When she starts to sense Chris’ ghostly presence — and then connects with him in a soft-focus space in which pretty dust motes catch ethereal light — her mourning deepens dangerously. She doesn’t see it that way; she confuses a tragically upended romance for eternal love. But her parents do. Their bright, beautiful daughter is going under. Bestie Julia and Chris’ closest bud Nate also see Riley’s downward spiral, even as they try to make peace with their own senses of loss.
Once Chris shakes off the shock of his abrupt departure, limbo turns out to be not half-bad. He meets Jordan, who orients him to this new realm, which looks a lot like home with some teleporting perks. An amiable guide , Jordan has a cocky-kind vibe both youthful and almost wise . Like Chris, he’s also stuck, and the reasons make for some sweet revelations down the road.
Able to connect with Riley, Chris may be in no hurry to move on. But as she mourns in ways that make her increasingly frail — and to outside observers appear unhinged — Chris begins to come to term with the underlying melancholy that has him stuck.