Singing the praises of this "Love Song"

You’ve seen her face before, an unforgettable countenance weathered by the heartache, addiction, poverty, and other stressful factors her film and television characters experience. Finally, Dale Dickey gets to headline a feature film: A Love Song (2022) is an intimate romantic drama written and directed by Max Walker-Silverman in his feature directorial debut. The plot follows Faye (Dickey), a lonely widow camping at a remote site in the Colorado mountains, as she anxiously waits for Lito (Wesley Studi), a widowed childhood friend she hasn't seen in decades, in hopes of reconnecting and finding solace in their shared past. Over the course of a day and night, the two share memories, songs, and quiet reflection, navigating the bittersweet space between grief, nostalgia, and tentative hope for late-life affection. The film also features supporting performances by Michelle Wilson and Benja K. Thomas.

To listen to a recording of our CineVerse group discussion of A Love Song, conducted last week, click here.

This is about as simple a story as you can film, with the merest of characters, plot points, and dialogue. Yet, it’s a riveting portrait of a woman in the twilight of her life seeking to chart a new course and avoid loneliness. Much of the dramatic thrust is accomplished with sparkling outdoor cinematography and wordless visuals, especially quiet shots of Faye alone in or around her trailer, with her craggy, world-weary countenance speaking volumes about her emotional state and desire for change. Here is a film where what isn’t said, as well as the nonverbal spaces between characters and their environment, is more revealing than anything mouthed. A Love Song is also a contemporary Western packed with Americana, from a vintage transistor radio that plays country, folk, and bluegrass, to a majestic skyline and shimmering river, to a lovable black dog, to tried-and-true edible favorites like a cold beer and an ice cream cone.

Problem is, A Love Song is imbued with a touch of magical realism that can feel a bit at odds with the naturalism and assumed plausibility of Faye’s setting and situation. It’s perhaps a bit too perfect that the radio always plays the ideal song whenever you turn it on, and the movie too closely hews to the comical quirkiness of a Wes Anderson or Coen Brothers cadre of characters moment when friendly but offbeat visitors (like the family seeking to re-bury their father, the lesbian couple, and the mail carrier) suddenly appear out of nowhere.

Some moments stretch believability or exist seemingly to function only as plot catalysts, such as the unlikelihood of the five siblings’ vehicle breaking down and needing her engine (to go where and do what, and how, without a special hoist, could they possibly lift a truck engine that can weigh over 700 pounds?), which forces her to stay put just long enough for Lito to arrive in time; the presence of the nearby oil rig (the noise alone would have likely exasperated Faye); and the question of whether or not fellow camper Jan will propose to Marie (a somewhat parallel relationship uncertainty).

Thematically, this is a third act with blank pages. Faye, who lost her husband seven years ago, now lives off the grid and has encamped in Colorado, eager to rekindle an old friendship that could turn romantic. She’s yearning to live a fuller life and start afresh with a new love in her senior years, open to what the universe presents her but with no other plans either immediate or long-term. While Lito – whose spouse had also died – doesn’t prove to be the stabilizing amorous force she had hoped he might be, his last words to her, “We’re going to be okay,” give her (and us) hope that her future is a wide-open road, not a dead end, even though she’ll have to continue navigating loneliness.

A Love Song also preaches the merits of harmonizing with life and love. Faye draws inspiration from the random songs she hears on the radio and studies bird songs and constellations. Later, she literally gets in tune with Lito when they attempt a singing duet on guitar; while they make some beautiful music together, unfortunately it’s a one-off that isn’t repeated, or that triggers any lasting romantic spark. Yet Faye can still count on the melodic crooning of nature to inspire her, as evidenced by the call of the morning dove she hears.

Hers is a life of stoic solitude. Our protagonist is a woman who yearns for more connection and someone new to love but has the inner strength, practical smarts, and faith in herself to continue to live independently, beholden to no one. Faye also seems to long for a bygone way of life, as evidenced by her reflections. She remarks how her father was a shepherd on the mountain, where sheep used to pasture, and how the lake’s water level has eroded since the last time she visited. She and Lito reminisce fondly about their adolescent experiences. And we learn that she used to fly forest service aircraft.

Similar works

Tender Mercies (1983)

The Straight Story (1999)

Into the Wild

Wild

Lucky (2017)

Leave No Trace (2018)

Driveways (2019)

First Cow (2019)

Nomadland (2020)

Montana Story (2021)

Past Lives (2023)

Other films by Max Walker-Silverman

Lefty/Righty (short film; 2019)

Chuj Boys of Summer (short film; 2020)

Rebuilding (2025)