Crush 2002

Forty-something schoolmistress Kate Andie MacDowell and her two best friends, police superintendent Janine and doctor Molly, live in rural Britain and fill their weekly chats with stories about single life and dating exploits.

Kate has recovered from ovarian cyst disease and fears a relapse; she hasn’t been dating much. By chance, she meets Jed, a former student of hers, now a handsome twenty-something church organist. To her surprise, she ends up sleeping with him, and the two embark on an unusually devoted relationship that is met with wary looks by Janine and Molly. Janine grows to believe in Kate and Jed’s feelings, while Molly remains doubtful. She shows Jed’s criminal past and medical history to Kate, hosts adult dates at their dinner parties, and even takes Kate and Janine on a trip to Paris in an attempt to push Kate away from Jed. Ironically, this only brings Kate and Jed closer, and they begin to plan their wedding.

Molly later tries to prove Jed’s faithlessness by seducing him, a ploy that fails but leaves Kate feeling furious. After a heated argument about keeping their engagement quiet, Jed is expelled from Kate’s house. A passing truck strikes him, killing him, and the tragedy shatters the three friends: Kate is inconsolable, and Janine blames Molly.

Back at home, Kate sinks into a deep depression that makes even ordinary tasks feel overwhelming, including her work as a schoolmistress. She tentatively allies with local vicar Gerald, a longtime admirer who has finally won her over; yet when she reaches the altar, she collapses ill. Molly and Janine help her away from the church and reveal a shocking truth: she is pregnant with Jed’s child. Kate chooses to carry the baby and raise it on her own, while Gerald begins to see a woman who is genuinely excited about him.

Meanwhile, Janine starts dating Bill (a robbery suspect) and Molly falls for a pediatrician named Eleanor. The three friends slowly reconcile, learning to share their lives and support one another through new chapters, while Kate navigates motherhood and a future that looks both hopeful and uncertain.