“I’ll See You in My Dreams”, which happens to be one of the movies recently available on Netflix in South Korea, is a little intimate character drama which turns out to be a bit more sensitive and thoughtful than expected. On the surface, it is another familiar drama about life, aging, and love, but it goes deeper into the story and characters without never overstepping at all, and the result is alternatively humorous and poignant.

At the beginning, the movie gradually establishes the daily life of Carol Petersen (Blythe Danner), an aging widow who has comfortably and quietly led her single life since she lost her husband due to a big accident around 20 years ago. Mainly thanks to the insurance money she received after her husband’s unfortunate death, Carol can still live alone in a cozy Californian house along with her old pet dog, and she is not so interested in living with several old friends currently residing in a nearby retirement community, though she often spends some time with them.

And then there come several small changes to interrupt Carol’s comfortable daily life. First, her pet dog has to be euthanized for some serious medical condition involved with its old age, and she is certainly devastated by the loss of her longtime companion. As she sleeps alone in the house later, she is suddenly disturbed by the appearance of a little rat appearing from somewhere inside the house, which comes to disturb her more along the story.

Meanwhile, there comes a new guy who comes to clean the pool of Carol’s house. He is a lad named Lloyd (Martin Starr), and she subsequently suggests him that they should have some wine together. Despite their considerable age difference, Carol and Lloyd find themselves becoming more casual with each other, and Lloyd comes to tell her more about himself than expected, though both of them are not so sure about what may happen next between them.

To us, it seems that another guy Carol comes across at a local supermarket is more suitable for her. He is a retired man name Bill (Sam Elliott), and he does not hesitate to show her that he is really interested in getting to know her, even though they are total strangers to each other from the beginning. She comes to learn later that he is actually known well in her friends’ retirement community, and then she does not hesitate when he approaches to her again not long after she has a pretty dissatisfying speed dating time to our little amusement. 

As Carol spends more time with him, it turns out that Bill is a pretty cool guy who can actually be a new love in her life. While knowing well that he is approaching to the closing chapter of his life just like Carol, Bill is willing to go for more fun and happiness instead of resorting to the boredom of retirement, and Carol eventually opens herself more to him as they talk with each other on his big boat (Its name is one of many little amusing things in the film, by the way).

In the meantime, Carol comes to befriend Lloyd more. There is a funny and thoughtful scene where they express their very different views on living, and Lloyd, who is incidentally a struggling poet/musician, becomes more impressed when Carol demonstrates a bit of her old singing skill in front of him and others at a local bar during its karaoke night.

The screenplay by director/editor/co-producer Brett Haley and his co-writer Marc Basch thankfully avoids setting a gratuitous triangle among Carol and these two different men coming into her life. As a wise and thoughtful woman, Carol surely knows what may be better for her in the end, and then she goes along with that when she really feels right about that. Her following decision is handled well with enough sensitivity and thoughtfulness, and then she comes to realize that she cares more than expected when another unexpected thing occurs later in the story.

As the center of the movie, Blythe Danner, whom I usually remember for playing the no-nonsense wife characters in several notable movies ranging from “The Great Santini” (1979) to “Meet the Parents” (2000), diligently carries the story with her unadorned but graceful performance to remember. While we only get to know a bit about her character’s past, Danner fills the character with enough life and personality to observe, and she is particularly good when she subtly conveys to us some wistful sadness inside her character around the end of the film.   

Haley assembles a number of colorful performers around Danner. While Martin Starr and Sam Elliott are effective as the two different male figures revolving around Danner’s character, June Squibb, Rhea Perlman, and Mary Kay Place, who have all been quite dependable veteran performers for many years, often provide some extra humor as Carol’s close friends, Malin Åkerman briefly appears as Carol’s caring daughter.

On the whole, “I’ll See You in My Dreams”, which is Haley’s second feature film after “The New Year” (2010), is worthwhile to watch for not only Danner’s wonderful acting but also its solid storytelling. In my inconsequential opinion, this is surely one of many little overlooked films, and you will not easily forget the movie and Danner’s performance for a while after watching it.