The 2026 Nashville Film Festival has been off to a roaring start, including a screening of the upcoming Amazon MGM Studios film Love of Your Life. The film got rave reviews out of the 2026 Toronto Film Festival. The film was written by WGA nominee Julia Cox (Nyad) and directed by Rachel Morrison (The Fire Inside). It boasts a star-studded cast in Margaret Qualley, Gabriel Basso, and Aaron Pierre. I wasn’t sure what to expect heading into this and walked away putting this into my top five movies of the year.
What Is Love of Your Life About?
The film follows Maya (Margaret Qualley) finding the love of her life, Charlie (Gabriel Basso), leading to a beautiful romance. However, an unforeseen circumstance turns her life upside down, forcing her to explore grief and loss. As Maya goes on this new journey, she has to attempt to heal within while trying to figure out how to love again.
Love of Your Life Review
After getting off a long day of work as a nurse, Maya meets with Charlie to buy some furniture from him. This leads to a whimsical journey of love that Maya wasn’t even prepared for. Somewhat abandoned in her life, she struggles to understand that she is even worthy of such love. Nonetheless, Maya and Charlie get married and begin this new life together. What happens next, nobody was prepared for.
Let me start by saying I am going to review this without divulging too many details in the plot that surrounds what transpires with Maya. That said, Julia Cox’s script is flawless. The exploration of grief showcases that it hits you like a ton of bricks while highlighting that everyone handles it differently. Cox wisely doesn’t fall into the same tropes that we see in this genre. The film teases them but never fully commits, which only enhanced my love for this movie.
Margaret Qualley has had quite a 2026, as I loved her in How to Make a Killing and The Dog Stars. But her performance as Maya in Love of Your Life is on a whole other level, as she gives the best performance of her career. The emotional depth of Maya and how she has to navigate life with the cards dealt to her, followed by opening the door to love for it to be closed in her face. This is not something that was easy to convey. It isn’t just in those big moments that Qualley impresses, but also in the softer moments, with her ability to captivate you with her facial expressions. This isn’t just her best work, but one of the best I’ve seen this year.
I must also speak about the depth of the ensemble. Gabriel Basso, known for his work in The Night Agent, showcased some true depth that we’ve never seen from him. Similar feelings when it comes to Aaron Pierre. He plays Felix, a pivotal character in Maya’s arc, and he is soft, warm, and poignant. Patrick Schwarzenegger has one of the most devastating scenes of 2026, while simultaneously Catherine Keener has one equally as powerful. What a cast!
I mentioned the script not falling into those same tropes, but I was also impressed with the pacing of the film. When it begins, you aren’t sure where things are going to go, and as they begin to unfold, the picture is painted slowly, finding this balance of love, loss, and even some laughs. I loved the script’s ability to make you feel literally every emotion. I will find it hard-pressed to find many scripts better than Julia Cox’s.
Is Love of Your Life Worth Watching?
Love of Your Life is hands down one of my favorite movies of 2026. As you weave through my words in this review, I attempt to reveal as little as possible about this script because you need to go into this movie blind. Margaret Qualley is staggering in this exploration of grief and how it grabs hold of you. As each act presents its own unique challenge, you find yourself fully immersed in one of the year’s best scripts. You don’t want to miss this when it drops on Prime Video.
Love of Your Life will debut in select theaters on October 7, 2026. The film will be available to stream on Prime Video on October 14th.
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Love of Your Life is hands down one of my favorite movies of 2026. As you weave through my words in this review, I attempt to reveal as little as possible about this script because you need to go into this movie blind. Margaret Qualley is staggering in this exploration of grief and how it grabs hold of you. As each act presents its own unique challenge, you find yourself fully immersed in one of the year's best scripts.
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GVN Rating
Family, Faith, Film and Football.
