Love Sarah

After a tragic event occurs to a young woman named Sarah, her daughter Clarissa (Shannon Tarbet) makes the decision to her complete her mother's long term dream of opening a bakery in London. But when it comes to owning a business or baking, Clarissa isn't able to do this task on her own. She seeks assistance and support from her Grandma, Mimi (Celia Imrie), and Sarah's best friend, Isabella (Shelley Conn). Together these three women begin to renovate an old shop and transform it into something beautiful, also employing a young chef to assist with the baking.

Love Sarah is a film that doesn't take long to introduce the story or the ladies. Some elements in the setup are more implied which I enjoyed, plus it means the plot gets underway immediately instead of making the story slow, depressing and oppressive.

Performances by the leading ladies are lovely (especially from Celia Imrie who I always have a soft spot for). All characters here have chemistry on-screen when they interact with each other. Each character also brings a different set of skills when it comes to running a bakery due to their personal experiences. The film also focuses on the expertise of different generations, which was a lovely touch too. To my surprise, this film isn't just a drama. There are other aspects to this film, including romance, comedy and even the ingredient of mystery which I also found pleasing.

Another element I wanted to share about is the film's beautiful music score which was composed by Enis Rotthoff. It's truly a perfect match for this film, and I found the music alone moving at times. The director should also be mentioned. Love Sarah was directed by Eliza Schroeder, and according to IMBD this film is her very first feature film. As a first time director for a feature film, the results here are impressive, and the director should be proud of what she has achieved. There is a genuine freshness to this story and film.

While I have plenty of praise for this film, I do have one major issue which was extremely unfortunate. While it wasn't a constant issue, there was more than once where the style of filming was disappointing. During crucial scenes, the camera moves around and feels unpolished when compared to the rest of the film. There was one scene in particular which I was shocked was left in the final version of the movie due to the way it was filmed.

Overall, like a freshly-baked cake, Love Sarah is refreshing and delightful. While the film is classed as a drama, it contains an incredibly heartfelt story with the added ingredients of both humour and mystery. Performances are also fantastic, and I felt the leading ladies had beautiful chemistry together. All these ingredients will make the movie lover crave another slice as the credits roll.

7.4/10 - Walkden Entertainment