Tru Love 2013 Movie Review

『Love Knows No Age or Boundaries, It Arrives Unexpectedly』

🎥 Film Overview

🎬 Title: Tru Love (2013)
🌍 Country: 🇨🇦 Canada
🎞️ Genre: Drama / Romance / Queer
🗓️ Production: Tru Love Films
⏳ Runtime: 94 minutes
📢 Directors: Kate Johnston, Shauna MacDonald
🖋️ Screenwriters: Kate Johnston, Shauna MacDonald

👩‍💼 Cast: Shauna MacDonald – as Tru Richmond
Kate Trotter – as Alice Richmond
Christine Horne – as Suzanne Richmond

🧩 Deep Story Analysis (Spoilers)

💫 The Triangular Web of Three Women

The film weaves its narrative through the intersecting lives of three women of different generations, each carrying her own trauma.

• Tru: A 37-year-old lesbian and a self-described commitment-phobe. Having run away from homophobic parents in her youth, she lives a restless life, constantly changing jobs and lovers. Her charm hides a deep-seated fear of long-term attachment.

• Alice: A graceful 60-year-old widow visiting Toronto to reconnect with her daughter. Her sense of loss is intertwined not only with her husband’s death but also with her long-suppressed sexual identity and desires.

• Suzanne: Alice’s daughter and Tru’s acquaintance, a workaholic lawyer. She avoids confronting her mother’s loneliness, burying herself in work. Knowing Tru’s reputation as a flirt, she strongly opposes the growing closeness between her mother and Tru — her resistance stemming from fear and jealousy of losing her mother’s affection.

→ The Beginning of Their Bond: When Suzanne asks Tru to look after her mother temporarily, an unexpected friendship blossoms between Tru and Alice — evolving into a cross-generational romance.

🌹 Liberation from Loss and Repressed Desire

Tru Love goes beyond a simple romance; it explores the weighty themes of loss and self-identity.

• Shared Grief and Healing: Alice mourns her late husband, while Tru fears losing anyone who truly loves her. Alice brings vitality back into Tru’s life, and Tru gives Alice the courage to embrace life again. Their bond becomes a process of mutual healing — filling the voids within each other.

• Alice’s Awakening and Liberation: Alice’s journey is the emotional core of the film. Having lived her whole life within social conventions and the framework of marriage, she begins to rediscover her repressed sexual desire and true identity after her husband’s death. Scenes where she converses with her deceased husband in her imagination serve as a powerful metaphor for the guilt and emotional weight of her past life.

• Tru’s Emotional Defense Mechanisms: Through Alice’s gentle patience and unconditional acceptance, Tru begins to confront her fear of commitment and vulnerability. Alice’s honesty and tenderness break down the walls Tru has built around herself for years.

🌿 Subtlety and Naturalism

The directing duo succeeds in maintaining a delicate and calm tone throughout the emotional complexity of the story.

• Slow Pacing and Static Mise-en-scène: The film takes its time, focusing on character interaction rather than rushing the plot. Set against the snowy backdrop of Toronto, it creates a quietly poetic atmosphere. The frozen beauty of winter mirrors both the solitude and the new beginnings of the two women.

• Remarkable Chemistry Between the Leads: Despite the age gap, Shauna MacDonald as Tru and Kate Trotter as Alice display authentic and natural chemistry. Trotter, in particular, conveys the nuanced transformation of a woman awakening from years of repression with elegance and emotional precision.

• Avoiding Clichés: Though the film centers on a lesbian romance with a notable age difference, it avoids sensationalism or “camp” aesthetics, opting instead for a sincere and contemplative tone. Even Suzanne’s opposition is depicted not merely as generational conflict but as an expression of her deep fear of loss, adding emotional depth to the story.

🌟 A Connection Beyond Age and Barriers

While Tru Love occasionally leans into melodrama, it remains grounded in sincerity, respect, and tenderness. The film delivers a timeless message — that “true love” transcends age, identity, and past wounds, embodying the pure connection between two souls who heal one another. It leaves a lasting emotional resonance, especially for queer cinema audiences.

🎯 Personal Rating

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