Reminders of Him Parent Guide

Five years ago, Kenna (Maika Monroe) was imprisoned for involuntary manslaughter thanks to her part in the death of her boyfriend, Scotty (Rudy Pankow). Now released, she returns to the town where she lived before her arrest with the hope of meeting her five-year-old daughter, Diem (Zoey Kozovic), who she has not seen since giving birth in prison. However, Scotty’s parents (Lauren Graham and Bradley Whitford), who have custody of Diem, blame her for their son’s death. Through a chance encounter, Kenna meets Ledger (Tyrique Withers), Scotty’s best friend, who she never had the chance to meet before Scotty died. Ledger is a key part of Diem’s life and desperately wants to protect her and Scotty’s parents from Kenna’s attempts to meet her daughter. However, as Ledger continues to spend time around Kenna, he begins to realize they may have been wrong about her all along.

I always struggle with book-to-movie adaptations because I think it’s incredibly difficult to get them right. Books typically have several more hours of story (depending on how fast a reader you are) to provide background, character building, and depth. It’s rare that I see an adaptation that doesn’t feel like it’s barely skimming the surface of what the book offers. <em>Reminders of Him</em> is no exception; however, as movie adaptations go, I think it does an excellent job. The film captured the heartbreak, joy, hope, and grief of the book about as well could be done within a two hour runtime. And while heartbreaking, the film also had more levity than I was expecting

Having read the book, I knew the lens I viewed the film through would be biased, so I brought my husband along (who hasn’t read it) to get his thoughts as well. He’s not particularly interested in romances, but he thought the film was very well made and didn’t feel like any elements of the story were missing. 

Despite negative content integral to the plot (car accident, alcohol consumption, drunk driving), the movie doesn’t needlessly rely on raunchy elements that don’t elevate the story. I wouldn’t call the film groundbreaking by any means, but if you enjoy romance, have read the book, or simply find the premise interesting, you will likely find it entertaining enough to be worth watching.

About author

Alisha Bagshaw

Alisha Bagshaw is completing her BCST in Child and Youth Care Counselling and is working toward a career in psychology and policy advocacy. She enjoys reading, watching movies, and subjecting her husband and friends to in-depth (and usually unsolicited) synopses and thematic analysis.