Magic Hour

Erin and Charlie escape to the desert to navigate an unexpected and challenging new phase of their relationship.

Whether we like it or not, life is full of new beginnings, and adjusting to them can indeed be difficult. Nevertheless, sometimes they present us with circumstances that we must find a way to address, given that we have no other choice. So it is for Erin (Katie Aselton) and Charlie (Daveed Diggs), a young married couple very much in love but who have been unexpectedly saddled with working out a change in the nature of their relationship: They find themselves on opposite sides of the veil between life and death, even though they have somehow managed to find a way to remain in each other’s company, an arrangement that only they’re aware of. So, to work out the remaining logistics of this unique situation, they seek a new venue for their deliberations. They journey to Joshua Tree in the California desert to regroup at the home of a friend (Brad Garrett), hoping that the change of scene, the wide-open spaces with their lack of distractions and the presence of New Age spiritual influences will provide a suitable environment to undertake this challenge. However, despite their sincerity, they have trouble emotionally coping with such a fundamental change in their marriage. By tightly holding on to what they had (and no longer do), they’re incapable of moving on to new paths in life and the afterlife. Others genuinely try to offer comfort, guidance and support, such as a healing masseuse (Leonora Pitts), an overbearing but well-meaning mother (Susan Sullivan) and a quartet of vivacious, fun-loving drag queens (led by D.J. Shangela Pierce). But the answers lie within Erin and Charlie, and only they can find them. Will they? That’s the challenge put to the protagonists in this latest effort from writer-actor-director Aselton, who gets some aspects right with others in need of work. On the plus side, this unusual love story’s excellent performances, superb character development and chemistry, gorgeous desert cinematography and fitting soundtrack all get deservedly high marks. However, the same can’t be said for the writing, which is frequently vague and assumes that viewers know what the script is trying to convey. The story also has a tendency to feel padded, despite the picture’s comparatively short 1:20:00 runtime. It’s truly unfortunate that these shortcomings impinge on this offering, for, if these areas had been stronger, “Magic Hour” truly would have earned higher grades. As it stands now, though, viewers will have to be satisfied with the film as it is, an earnest but incomplete effort that tries to address a hopeful but heartbreaking scenario that many of us may have to face at some point in our lives – or afterlives.