A Place We Go To 2018 Movie Review

『Cautious Love and Hope Blossoming Amid Wounds and Imperfections』

🎥 Film Overview

🎬 Title: A Place We Go To (2018)
🌍 Country: 🇺🇸 USA
🎞️ Genre: Independent / Romance / Drama
📢 Director: Jenny Wang
🖋️ Screenplay: Jenny Wang

👩‍💼 Cast: Amy Chang – Dong
Annie Hägg – Laurin

🧩 Story Deep Dive (Spoilers)

🌄 A New Beginning and First Encounter

'A Place We Go To' unfolds against the backdrop of the vast landscapes of South Dakota, portraying the romance between Dong and Laurin with both lyricism and realism. Rather than focusing on the 'beginning' of love, this film emphasizes the struggles of sustaining it, exploring the complex psychological dynamics of a relationship.

🚗 Loss and Redefinition

The narrative of this film gains depth from the fact that both protagonists begin their relationship under the shadow of loss.

• Dong’s starting point: duty and hope: Dong relocates out of a sense of duty to fulfill her mother’s dying wish that she find a husband. Her journey oscillates between a hope for true love and the urgency of honoring her mother’s request. Her pursuit of love is tied not only to personal passion but also to a fundamental purpose in life.

• Laurin’s background: the weight of the past: Laurin carries the burden of divorce. Though she seeks healing in the serenity of her environment, the memories and wounds of her ex-husband Luke remain deeply imprinted on her life.

Their meeting feels like a moment where two broken pieces briefly fit together perfectly.

⏳ The Exchange of Identity: The Meaning of “Margaret”

Dong’s request for Laurin to call her by the name “Margaret,” Laurin’s childhood name, and her attempt to assume this identity is the film’s most profound symbol.

• Dong’s ultimate devotion: Becoming “Margaret” represents her promise to enter the deepest parts of Laurin’s life and fully share her past and essence. It reflects not only love but a profound willingness to be integrated into Laurin’s very identity.

• Laurin’s escape and avoidance: For Laurin, “Margaret” symbolizes her innocent self before marriage and divorce. Dong’s request forces Laurin to confront her unlost past, but it also reawakens painful memories of Luke, drawing her into confusion and turmoil.

⚖️ Road Trip and Rushmore: A Test of Romance

The road trip with couple Daniel and Sarah pulls their isolated romance into the realm of reality and loss.

• Sarah’s affair witnessed: Dong discovers Sarah’s infidelity, and as that couple falls apart, it reflects the fragility of marriage and relationships. This casts doubt on Dong’s idealistic view of marriage and stirs Laurin’s trauma.

• Rushmore anxieties: Camping at Mount Rushmore becomes their most pure and idyllic moment, but it is also where Laurin’s fear of abandonment explodes. When Margaret temporarily disappears, Laurin’s terror exposes how deeply she remains trapped in her fear of loss since her separation from Luke.

💘 The Limits of Love: Sincerity vs. Past Wounds

The film’s most tragic yet realistic message is that Dong’s sincerity cannot heal Laurin’s past.

• Dong’s unconditional love: Dong consistently shows her devotion and patience, loving Laurin as she is and striving to be part of her life. She even attends a wedding to remain by Laurin’s side.

• Laurin’s psychological barriers: Yet Laurin cannot overcome her wounds with Luke. As her relationship with Dong deepens, Luke’s memories resurface, leaving her confused and unable to fully accept Dong. The film conveys the realistic message that love alone cannot always heal deep personal trauma.

• The reality of love that “blooms and fades”: The film does not promise a happy ending. It portrays romance as something that begins, burns brightly, and inevitably fades—a finite and realistic experience rather than an eternal ideal. This leaves audiences with poignant resonance and a mature reflection on love’s impermanence.

🌿 A Love Story with Finite Beauty

A Place We Go To delicately explores the distance between “the passion to be together” and “the wounds that prevent togetherness.” Dong and Laurin’s romance is like the natural cycle that buds, blossoms, and fades—a sober reminder that not all love lasts forever. The film quietly reflects on the fleeting nature of love and guides us to accept that ultimately we are all “on a journey to somewhere (A Place We Go To)”.

🎯 Personal Rating

💕 Love Scene Intensity: ♥
⭐ Rating: ★★★