Arka Mukhopadhyay
Astounding love stories may lurk in forgotten corners of archival memory, waiting to be unearthed. Augustine Frizzell’s cinematic adaptation of the eponymous book by English journalist-novelist Jojo Moyes, ‘The Last Letter from Your Lover’ is a romantic drama film made with relentless care. The story oscillates between past and future, and an epistolary form gives it an overarching structure. Persuasive young journalist Ellie stumbles upon a stack of touching love letters exchanged between mystery-lovers Boot and J.
She sniffs out a story, and the quest of finding the mystery couple, in turn, reveals a poignant tale of passionate lovers parted by silence, each locked in their own worlds. Ellie finds one letter after another, but the last letter is yet to be written. In the process, Ellie comes close to savvy archive guy Rory. A star-studded cast comprising Shailene Woodley, Callum Turner, Felicity Jones, and Nabhaan Rizwan brings the story to life. The camera movements have a certain flow, the scenes are vibrant, and the score adds a bit of zest. The ending is seemingly well-rounded in proportion. But still, if you have questions, let us break down the final moments. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Last Letter from Your Lover Plot Synopsis
The beginning shots show an elegant lady stuck in a rut of a marriage with her aristocratic husband, Lawrence, or Larry. This woman, we come to know, is Jennifer. Jennifer feels dejected by her husband and looks for Felipe. But Felipe never woke up after the accident, and Jennifer returns home with a morose face. In the meantime, Ellie wakes up and takes an exit from Andrew’s place. She goes to her office at the Chronicle, where she is a daunting feature writer.
Ellie takes a stroll to the archive department, searching for stories, but the formidable figure of Rory derails Ellie from the quest. Well, Rory means no harm, and they stumble upon some letters written between a certain Boot and a J. After scouring through the organized section, they go down the rabbit hole to the larger, unorganized section.
Going back to the previous story, Jennifer is drowning in the quagmire of a marriage of convenience, but along comes a reporter of the London Chronicle named Anthony O’Hare, hoping to write a piece on Jennifer’s husband. Jennifer and Anthony get off on the wrong foot, but an amusingly self-deprecating letter by Anthony saves the day. They begin a liaison through letters, which grows into something none of them have ever felt before. But the love between the two is impossible, as life has chosen different avenues for them.
The stories collide when we realize that Anthony signed under his alias Boot (a name Jennifer gave him), and Jennifer used her initial. Ellie has casual sex with Rory, which complicates things, which leads to Ellie ghosting Rory. In the meantime, Ellie gets a call back from Anthony, and she meets the forlorn lovers, now in their twilight years. The air of misunderstanding is cleared, and Anthony writes a last letter pleading Jennifer to come to their usual place.
The Last Letter from Your Lover Ending: What Keeps Jennifer and Anthony Apart?
The character of Jennifer has a rooted melancholy in her brooding eyes. Kudos to a sparkling Shailene Woodley and ‘Belgravia’ famed Diana Kent, both of whom portray different versions of the character with grace. Jennifer feels trapped in a marriage of convenience with elite businessman Lawrence. Therefore, when Anthony comes, he brings a breath of fresh air into Jennifer’s life. Jennifer’s life lights up, and the paramours decide to run away. Anthony gets a job in New York, and he tells Jennifer to come with him. He mentions the station and the time (we shall come back to it), and Jennifer decides to run away after all, although quite late in the day.
A car T-bones her cab, and after her recovery, her husband tells her that Anthony O’Hare has died in the accident. Anthony goes to New York, and the lovers do not meet for the next few years but are once again united in London on Christmas of 1969. Anthony thinks that Jennifer chooses her family, and that is alright with him. Jennifer cannot speak her feelings, and in the end, they part once again, never to meet until the present time. Jennifer confronts her husband, and they ostensibly separate, although it seems that Jennifer does not get custody of her daughter.
Does Jennifer Respond to Anthony’s Last Letter?
Yes, Jennifer does come to the Postman’s Park after all. Jennifer initially does not want to speak to Ellie, let alone meet Anthony. But Anthony instills some spirit in a disheartened Ellie, reminding her of her duties as a reporter. Rather than giving up, Ellie works as the ubiquitous catalyst between the two, as the course of events deeply moves her in the meantime. Persuaded by Ellie, Anthony writes the letter to Jennifer, asking her to meet him on their usual bench in Postman’s Park, Friday at 2.00 pm. Jennifer, meanwhile, has turned a bit of a recluse and is initially hostile towards Ellie’s snooping.
But when Ellie states her previous meeting with Anthony, Jennifer goes back to the days of her youth. She is careful not to show it, but she still has the locker open hoping for incoming letters as Rory reasons. The last letter of Anthony resonates with Jennifer, who goes to meet her unintended love and fulfill her destiny. The not-so-latent message is that it is never too late to begin again. It is certainly better than living a lie. In the end, Jennifer shows unmistakable strength in coming out of her shell and embracing life with all its bittersweet symphonies.
Did Jennifer Get on The Train?
The film takes its audiences back to the Marylebone Station to make an alternative suggestion in the penultimate moments. We have visited the station in the story previously. Anthony’s train left the station in the previous occurrence while Jennifer’s accident thwarted her from her destined course. But in the final sequence, things happen differently and with a dash of optimism. Jennifer reaches the station in the nick of time, and Anthony lifts Jennifer into the rail coach. The camera meditates on the train leaving the station before swiftly cutting to the end credits. The audience may feel a little confused here or even betrayed. Did Jennifer leave with Anthony, or did she not?
Of course, in the end, Jennifer and Anthony come together, but both of them have grown past their youthful years. If you look at the park scene, the camera rotates around the old lovers, and they seamlessly become their younger selves in the next moment. Therefore, the final scene at the station is decidedly not a depiction of what actually happened but rather a reflection on what could have been. Things would turn out in the lovers’ favor if only Anthony knew of Jennifer’s steady pursuit of him! But the clouds of misinformation vie from them eventually. The film’s finality brings the veteran pair together, and now they can have their happily ever after in the company of each other.
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