Margot (Michelle Williams), who makes ends meet grinding out PR pamphlets, wants to be happy with her husband Lou (Seth Rogen), a cookbook writer. However, like many Seth Rogen characters, Lou's more a grab-assing buddy than a lover. Not so Daniel (Luke Kirby), the stud Margot meets in a scene that barely avoids indulging in the "manic pixie dream girl" stereotype. He's an artist by night, rickshaw driver by day, and he's horny. The story might have taken a rom-com turn — and does drift toward awkward symbolism, such as when Margot uses a wheelchair to make connections at airports because she's "afraid of being in between things." But writer-director Sarah Polley is interested in people, not clichés, and the bright colors of the cinematography hide a chill of sadness and dread. Plus the cast is nearly flawless, especially Williams, who inhabits the grey area between child-like exuberance and grown-up resignation better than anybody.
