The Lake House

Director: Alejandro Agresti

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock

The last time Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves were on screen together was in Speed; here they are reunited in this sweet and moving film about love crossing all boundaries, even time itself. Feeling it's time for a change, Dr Kate Foster (Bullock) leaves suburban Illinois where she has completed her residency and takes a job in a busy Chicago hospital. One thing is reluctant to leave behind is the beautiful house she has been renting - a spacious refuge which overlooks a lake. It's a winter morning in 2006 and on her way to the city, Kate leaves a letter in the mailbox of the lake house for the next tenant, asking them to forward her mail and explaining that the inexplicable paw prints in the paint by the front door were there when she moved in. When the next tenant, Alex Wyler (Reeves) arrives, he sees a very different picture. He's a talented architect who finds the place dirty, dusty and neglected. The lake house belonged to his father who left the house for dead. Determined to restore the house to its former glory, Alex starts to repair the house. He disregards Kate's letter but cannot see any paw prints anywhere. A few days later however, a stray dog runs across his fresh paint leaving paw prints. Baffled, Alex writes back to Kate saying that the house had no occupant before and wondering how she knew about the dog. It turns out Kate and Alex are two whole years apart, but an unusual bond grows between them through epistles and they find themselves falling in love. Determined to bridge the distance between them they decide to try and meet. But, trying to join their separate worlds turns is risky and they in peril of losing each other.

Bullock and Reeves are very credible in this tragedy of love and desire; they both do extremely well and the film cannot be passed off as a classic 'chick flick' as it is more than that. It is genuinely moving and the plot line, despite being obviously unbelievable, is completely believable in this context. A very different film with mystery, love, desire, secrets and a brilliant plot. Not to be missed.

Victoria Galloway