In Savi Gabizon's English remake of his 2017 Israeli drama, Richard Gere portrays Daniel, an affluent, middle-aged businessman who learns of his long-lost son's recent death in a tragic accident. The revelation occurs during a surprise reunion with Rachel, played by Suzanne Clément, a former flame from Canada whom he hasn’t seen in two decades. Stunned by the news, Daniel embarks on a quest to know his late son, Allen, who he never knew.
Daniel's journey takes him to Canada, where he learns of Allen's less than reputable life. His friend informs him of their joint enterprise in drug dealing, and a visit to Allen's school reveals Allen's expulsion for explicit poetry written on the school walls about a teacher, Alice, played by Diane Kruger. Although Alice finds Daniel's enquiries offensive, he persists.
As Daniel elongates his visit, acquiring more details about Allen, his grief manifests in bizarre ways. In extreme situations, such as imagining a fantasy scene described in Allen's poem, he struggles with acceptance and dealing with grief in a rational manner.
The film's downfall, however, lies in Gabizon's muted depiction of the unfolding events. Despite the shocking revelations and Daniel's escalating peculiar behaviours, the drama fails to peak. Thus, the audience struggles to connect in an emotional depth with Gere's emotionally recessive performance stemming from both the actor and director's shortcomings.
Instead of being a cathartic exploration of grief, 'Longing' presents a series of absurdities culminating in Daniel’s proposal of a symbolic wedding between his deceased son and the likewise deceased daughter of a man he met at the cemetery. This leaves the audience with a sense of dissociation from Daniel's spiralling grief, resulting in a film that feels more surreal than poignant.
