In 1986, Bryan Ferry once asked, “Is Your Love Strong Enough?” for the “Legend” soundtrack. But really, think about it. Is love truly strong enough to move mountains and resourceful enough to build a bridge over oceans? The right relationship may make it feel that anything is possible. It could also mean that strife and conflict could be a natural disaster. Are you able to stand inside the constant repetition of destruction and rebuilding?
Writer/director Graham Parkes’ debut “Wishful Thinking” is as real as it is fantastical – speaking to the power unions have over us and how we view the world. How stressful would it be if the weight of the world hung in the balance of every passionate kiss or argument you have with a significant other? It’s a concept that would flounder without the right ingredients. However, the film is grounded in two wonderful performances by Maya Hawke and Lewis Pullman. You’ll hang onto every single emotion as if you had a vested interest in their characters right from the start.
Julia (Hawke) and Charlie (Pullman) are in a little bit of a Groundhog Day rough patch when it comes to their relationship. There are only so many Thompson Twin dances the couple can do as a stopgap to temporarily pull them out of their rut. The heart of the matter is relatively simple; life is carrying them in different directions. Julia is a game designer with ambitious hopes to turn her character sketches at home into a full-fledged mobile game. Things have been a little bit rougher for Charlie. He’s a drummer in a band that has stalled in its hopes to make it to the big time. So, he works as a sound engineer to help pay the bills. Charlie is more impulsive, urging Julia to finally take the trip to Italy that the audience thinks they’ve always wanted. However, Julia is married to seeing her work through in a fledgling Portland company headed by Bobby (Randall Park).
It’s a big source of contention where this volcanic breaking point ensues. As a last-ditch effort to save their relationship, the couple agrees to see twin metaphysical therapists (both played by Kate Berlant). During a live session in front of an audience, Parkes gives us a brief backstory on how Julia and Charlie met. It’s a beautiful flashback sequence that recalls the night Julia sees Charlie at a local bar and the time they spend together until the next morning. It’s in those collections of scenes where you find out Julia lived in New York and perhaps her budding relationship with Charlie cleared the way for a move to Portland. Is it possible that manifestation is real and flows with the strength of their relationship? That’s a big responsibility for two people to carry.
“Wishful Thinking” plays with that concept in both minuscule and grandiose ways, but never outrunning the heart of the story. When the couple is in the midst of a heated argument, Charlie’s prized plant starts to die, plates start to break, and his crypto investments, at the behest of troublesome friend/bandmate Milo (Eric Rahill), tank. During a harmonious time, the sky is literally the limit. Julia can pull her boss away from sex-infused games to give her a promotion and invest in her idea. Charlie’s band suddenly has a hit song. The highs are intoxicating, and the lows feel like the end of the world. One would think two people could work together to live in a constant state of bliss, but eventually, the problems will rise to the surface.
The chemistry between Hawke and Pullman is the main reason why this concept works so well. You believe in their simple moments of joy and laughter so much that you root for a happy resolution. There’s a sincerity in which Julia and Charlie display love and affection for one another. Despite that, all the power in the world may not be able to trump personal desires. For Charlie, the classic setup of marriage and children is the end goal — harkening to the days of his late father and mother (Kerri Kenney), who is dealing with a cancer diagnosis. Julia is very much focused on professional achievement, not wanting to tie herself to a “white picket fence” motif of life. Eventually, something has to give.
No relationship comes without sacrifice, but there comes a point where longing for what could be looms large over the present. Despite a late-act stumble, Parkes’s “Wishful Thinking” puts a twist on a recognizable love story, with hard, thoughtful realizations. Adoration can make you feel invincible, but it can only go so far if the journey we call life is leading you to different destinations.
“Wishful Thinking” was reviewed at the 2026 SXSW Film and TV Festival.
