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I told a friend I’d write this post a long time ago. I guess it took a few days off from work, no energy, a stomach flu, and a sudden inspiration to write to get this one off the ground. It’s probably a combination of all of the above. That, and my summer’s coming to an end.

(500) Days of Summer. It’s the story of a Los Angeles we love to hate. It’s the story of a job we despise. It’s the story of a girl we love. But this is not a love story. It is not the story of boy meets girl, even though, boy does meet girl. It’s a classic portrayal of human desire and human relations, though there really is nothing classic about this film. It’s an independent film that flashes forward and flashes backward, all the while telling the story of a relationship that was 500 days in the making.

Summer. For many, summer is the beginning of a vacation, a sudden freedom from obligations, be them school or work or other. For Tom Hansen, Summer is the mysterious new secretary at work. Summer Finn represents excitement at work, and mystery in life. She is the girl that doesn’t believe true love exists, and yet, Tom Hansen falls for her.

Does love exist? No way am I going to try and answer that question. But I can ask you, what happens when all you know, all you want, is taken away, is unavailable? Life goes on, with or without your one true love. The misery of one’s love lost, though, is devastating. I’m sure we can all relate with Tom, as I do now, but what do we make of this film? I sat through this film loving Zooey Deschanel just as much as I hated Summer Finn, a natural reaction for any heterosexual male, I think.

There are so many different emotions to consider in this movie. There’s the feeling of innocent, naive love. There’s the shared musical interest between Tom and Summer that break an otherwise awkward introduction. It’s an ever-turning relationship, mixed with chemistry, tenderness, and anger. There are moments of mutual emotional feelings, moments of compassion and desire. And there are moments of angst and disgust. But Summer Finn’s mystique and disconnectedness leaves us wondering, what could have been?

A good friend recently told me, “never let an opportunity pass you by.” Timing, it’s never been one of my strong points, story of my life type of thing. It might be that, given more recent events in my life, looking back on this movie provides something even more. But that’s life, the coulda, woulda, shoulda. You can’t live in the past, otherwise you’ll miss what’s right in front of you. It’s happened to me, and I’m sure it’s happened to you. It happened in this movie, and it will probably happen to everyone again. But, when you stop living in the past, and you look at what’s in front of you, you’ll find Autumn, just as Tom did.

This was, as was pointed out at the beginning of the movie, not a love story. The love story, is probably in the untold story, the future. The story’s real beginning comes at the end. It may have taken Tom 500 days to find his Day 1, but Tom found Autumn. It’s what you can’t have that hopefully can lead you to what you can have, and hopefully it’s for the better.

Well, there you have it (and you know who you are). I loved this movie. And now for Autumn, Day 1. I’m waiting.

[image via obsessedwithfilm]