War is hell, even when you’re not out in the middle of it. Tim Lawson soon discovers this when an injury gets him shipped back home from fighting in the Iraqi War. Tim returns to his sleepy seaside resort hometown on the Jersey shore to heal up, but the looming possibility of being sent back into the fray, as well as his memories of the horrors of war, don’t make for the best R&R conditions. So Tim holes himself up in his little beach apartment, trying to keep the world at a distance, but it’s his neighbor’s suicidal behavior that draws him out of his shell. Tim lives next door to the terminally depressed Claire O’Neil who has suffered through some sort of unbearably traumatic loss, but is reluctant to say anything about it. Tim is drawn to this mysterious wounded woman and she finds comfort in the fact that he too has had to live through a hellish event. A relationship forms between the two, and suddenly there’s light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s the ongoing war that threatens to put a damper on their much deserved happiness.
“Divergence” is a really slow cooker – sleepy and quiet just like the town it takes place in. What eventually winds up pulling you in are the performances from this tremendous cast, namely the two leads Traci Anne Wolfe as Claire and Jakob Hawkins as Tim. They’re absolutely awesome together and you can’t help but fall in love with them as they’re falling in love with each other – it’s like cinematic group sex with you being the awkward third wheel that ends up hanging back and watching the action, but that’s all fine because “Divergence” is a wonderful sight to behold. Filmmaker Patrick J. Donnelly, along with his cast and crew, brings us a story that finds people struggling to stay strong in their darkest hour, a story that many of us can relate to, especially in trying times such as these. Highly recommended.
