The Face of Love 2014

Nikki is a recent widow whose husband Garret died in a drowning accident, and she has not yet moved past the hollow ache of that loss. Objects, people, and moments that remind her of the life they shared linger like echoes, making the world feel both familiar and painful. In search of a connection to what she lost, she repeatedly visits a small, beloved art gallery that she and Garret used to frequent, and there she encounters a man whose very presence bears an uncanny resemblance to her late husband. The surprise is so jarring that she returns again and again, hoping to confirm it and perhaps recapture a fragment of the life she believes she has already lost.

The man turns out to be a professor at a nearby college, named Tom, and Nikki soon finds herself drawn to him, visiting him at the art class where he teaches. The emotional weight of the resemblance proves too much at first, and she flees in the heat of overwhelmed feeling. After she regroups, she invites Tom to tutor her in painting, choosing to keep the truth of the resemblance to Garret private, lest it complicate an already delicate connection. What begins as a cautious mentorship gradually deepens into something warmer and more intimate, and the pair move beyond tutor-student boundaries, becoming lovers. The bond, however, is overshadowed by the fear that this relationship is built on an illusion—that Tom merely channels Garret in a way that stirs Nikki’s longing rather than offering a future grounded in reality.

This romance unsettles Nikki’s friends and neighbors, especially Roger, a neighbor who has long harbored his own hopes of winning Nikki’s affection since Garret’s death. The secrecy surrounding Tom’s presence—driven by the undeniable look-alike factor and the potential for misunderstandings—also strains Nikki’s relationships with family and friends, as they would recognize the connection and perhaps judge it too quickly. Adding to the complexity, Tom keeps a serious heart condition private; though he is divorced from his ex-wife for a decade, they maintain a close friendship, a detail he chooses not to disclose to Nikki. The dynamics become even tenser when Nikki’s adult daughter, Summer, unexpectedly visits and finds Tom in the house. The sight of him provokes a vehement, almost visceral reaction from Summer, who cannot accept him or his resemblance to Garret. Tom assumes the anger stems simply from his presence, but the truth engages a larger web of emotion and doubt about the future of the relationship.

Seeking solace and escape, Nikki invites Tom to travel with her to a resort in Mexico—the place Nikki and Garret had often visited together. It is there that the true stakes rise to the surface: Tom discovers a photo of Nikki and her husband by the bar, recognizes the powerful resemblance, and confronts Nikki with the reality of their connection. Realizing how fragile and potentially dangerous the situation is, Nikki becomes overwhelmed and dashes into the surf, as if seeking to erase the past through a dangerous act. Tom rescues her from the waves, and they share a quiet, intimate moment afterward, lying together with the grim awareness that their relationship is sustained largely by Tom’s physical likeness to Garret. They acknowledge that, in truth, their union may be doomed from the start, defined more by memory than by genuine companionship.

A year passes, and Summer discovers a gallery card in Nikki’s mailbox—an invitation to a memorial display of Tom’s art. The news that Tom has died from his heart condition casts a new light on the years they shared, yet his artistic output during his final year speaks to a life force that could not be silenced. At the memorial reception, hosted by Tom’s ex-wife, Nikki confronts the enduring impact of their time together and confronts a haunting closing image: Tom’s painting of the two of them, titled “The Face of Love,” paired with a self-portrait in which he captures Nikki standing in her pool at her home, watching him. The dual images—one intimate, one revealing—summon the sense that love, even when it begins as a physical echo, can leave a lasting imprint on art, memory, and the people who carry it forward. Through Nikki’s journey, the story reflects on how longing for the past and the pull of a familiar face can shape present choices, and how art can hold the ache of what was and the possibility of what might never be again.