At the deepest point of her depression, Max appears as a ghost…or least as a vision in Abby’s mind. Abby’s attitude soon changes as she is with Max all the time. The only catch is they can’t touch. The two go to the local bookstore together, take walks in the forest, and spend romantic moments together, including an interesting voyeuristic moment between humans and ghosts. Everything is not as perfect when Abby almost falls off a cliff. As Max is unable to help her, Abby contemplates joining him in the afterlife right then and there.
Saving herself, she heads back to the cabin, and sister Lorna greets her…along with Barry. It’s here that the fun and games for Abby are over. Everyone in her life is begging her to move on, but she can’t as Max is there for her in ghostly form. The movie soon becomes much more thought-provoking in nature. First, is Max an actual ghost or is he a figment of Abby’s imagination. Whether or not he is a ghost, Abby finds herself stalled in the grieving process. Then there’s the return of Barry, the one who was associated with Max’s death, what does he have to say for himself.
“…emotions, at times, flipped to eleven, but Hopkins packs a massive emotional punch…”
I’m not one to believe in ghosts, so there is a little bit of a fight accepting the spirit rules of the story. Once I accepted those rules, I found the way Faleena Hopkins played around with the themes of ghosts, grieving, and romance to be incredibly fascinating. There’s a moment when Max’s parents stop for a visit, and the reaction of the father and mother just blew me away with its insight about parents and their children. It’s clear, she thought about the subject deeply.
Yes, it can get a little melodramatic with emotions, at times, flipped to eleven, but Hopkins packs a massive emotional punch with her story. She clearly knows where the storytelling lines are and fearlessly steps right to the edge. I sometimes wonder about how anyone can write, direct, star, and edit a film without a mental breakdown, but Hopkins knew her vision and voice and it paid off in the end for Just One More Kiss.
"…played around with the themes of ghosts, grieving, and romance..."
