Directed by Peter Chelsom and released in 2001, Serendipity stars Kate Beckinsale as Sara Thomas and John Cusack as Jonathan Trager. The two happen to meet by accident one day at Bloomingdale and spend the end of the afternoon and evening together. They get along wonderfully and share a lot during this fateful evening. They realize there could obviously be more between them but decide to leave the possibility of a future meeting in the hands of fate.
During the following years, they carry on with their lives both on a professional and personal levels. Yet, they always wonder whether they will be reunited. As they are both engaged, and Jonathan even close to his actual wedding day, they decide to see if fate might lead them to each other.
While this movie might seem irresistibly cliché, I like it because it says a lot about opportunities and timing in life, when it comes to people you meet and choices you make. I like how they didn’t cross any physical line when they first met, but knew they had a true connection. It is very poetic and also show that while they saw temptation, they didn’t act on it.
The way they also keep thinking about each other is also a catalyst for them to realize that the personal choices they had made weren’t meant for them and to break their respective engagement even when they have no idea they will meet again – and that Jonathan actually thinks Sara is happy with someone else.
While they eventually find each other again, with the little signs of fate finally showing up, the way they get to this shows them think for themselves as well, and not only in terms of what they might have together, shall they reunite.
password: serendipity
Natacha Guyot 