January 14, 2016 -- A girl touches a guy's hand on a train, leading to a series of strange, enchanting encounters, a series of tall tales and an enormously awkward Thanksgiving dinner.

This offbeat romantic comedy, written and directed by Benjamin Meyer (“Normal Adolescent Behavior”) is about two dysfunctional people who are very inventive in the stories they make up about themselves and each other. Susan (played by Mary Cross) intentionally touches the hand of neighbor Sam (Michael Szeles) as both hold onto a rail while riding a train. They don't speak, but do make eye contact.

Later, Sam follows her to her apartment, she sees him, but the two don't speak. Before they meet again, Sam finds a new job doing home care for the elderly, after losing his previous job in insurance. Both jobs were lined up for him by his mother, who seems to have an endless string of old boyfriends. Susan gets kicked out of the apartment where she has been living by her roommate, who has gotten pregnant and wants her boyfriend to move in.

Sam sees Susan on the sidewalk with all her belongings and takes her in on a spur of the moment decision. Susan remarks that Sam's apartment was a mess, and he replies “I wasn't expecting you.” Sam and Susan like each other, but can't seem to express how they feel about each other. They can't even talk about their own lives in a straightforward way. Instead, they make up wild stories about themselves and fantasies about their own lives together.

Sam tells stories about his father, a Russian actor. Susan says she is a Princess who has been cast out by her family, but hopes to inherit money when her father dies. Sam apparently believes this obvious whopper. When Susan finally admits she made up that story, he demands the truth. Susan then tells a story about the night her father murdered her mother.

Sam's job taking care of elderly people in their homes, also has an element of fantasy as he goes along with the wishes of Mr. Hill (Maury Cooper) who wants Sam to pretend to be his son. That, too is an odd relationship. The way this relationship ends is really out of keeping with the tone of the rest of the movie.

Sam and Susan are circling each other warily, but their relationship built on tall tales and fantasies soon crumbles. Eventually, Sam learns the truth about his father and tells Susan about it. He learns the truth about Susan, too at a bizarre Thanksgiving dinner where he meets Susan's family.

It appears that the reasons these people behave as they do is rooted in their distant past. By confronting each other's fantasies, they are, at last, able to find peace with themselves and each other. This is an odd, uneven, and at times opaque romantic comedy. I did like the two main characters, however, and I was pulling for them to end up together. This film rates a C+.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in digital formats, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2016 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

Robert Roten can be reached via e-mail at .