What Is Comet About?
The premise of Comet in 253 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
In the bustling sprawl of Los Angeles, a fleeting meteor shower becomes the backdrop for a chance meeting that sparks an unexpected connection. Dell, a hard‑ edged man whose days are shaped by routine and responsibility, finds his world tilted when a quick‑witted, independent woman steps into his path. Their exchange is brief yet electric, hinting at a chemistry that will linger long after the night sky fades.
The story drifts across continents, stitching together moments in a Parisian hotel room, the echo of distant phone calls, and solitary walks beneath city lights. Kimberly—sharp, playful, and yearning for something beyond the ordinary—carries her own mix of hopes and uncertainties. Together, they navigate a relationship that feels both intimate and elusive, built on fragments of memory that surface like scattered constellations.
Through a non‑linear lens, the film paints a portrait of two people trying to balance desire and doubt. The tone is contemplative, blending the rawness of everyday life with a dream‑like reverie, inviting viewers to feel the push and pull of longing without ever spelling out the outcome. The atmosphere oscillates between the warm glow of shared laughter and the cooler shadows of unspoken questions, capturing the fragile beauty of human connection.
Dell and Kimberly remain at the center of this poetic mosaic, each shaped by personal histories and the quiet moments they carve out for one another. Their journey suggests that love, like a comet, flashes brilliantly, leaves a trail that endures, and leaves us wondering what lies beyond the next horizon.
What Happens in Comet?
The complete story of Comet, from the first scene to the last, in 698 words (about 3 minutes). Spoilers throughout. Names in the text link to 2 cast member pages.
Spoilers ahead
Dell stands in a doorway in a tailored suit, nervously clutching a bouquet of flowers as he eagerly awaits an answer to his knock. The moment quickly unfolds into a non-linear, memory-filled journey that threads through years of longing, missteps, and fragile hope.
A six-year flashback drops us into a sunlit LA line where he hopes to secure a spot in the cemetery for a meteor shower viewing. In this crowded moment, he encounters a young person ahead of him and learns surprising details about his own life: his mother has been diagnosed with liver cancer, he works for a pharmaceutical company, and he carries a stubborn, self-centered streak. The encounter shifts when a woman catches his eye. Kimberly warns him to step out of the path of a speeding car, and though her date’s constant chatter irks Dell, he immediately feels a flicker of interest. He pokes fun, asks for her number, and though the moment is brief, it plants the seed of something greater to come.
Fast-forward two years, and we find the couple in a Paris hotel room, gearing up for a friend’s wedding. Kimberly is anxious about where the relationship is headed, wanting it to evolve enough to even consider a future with kids. Yet the mood in Paris is taut with questions about commitment, and Dell’s dual nature—sharp-witted, often self-absorbed—begins to conflict with Kimberly’s longing for certainty.
Back at the meteor shower, the night grows intimate but unstable. Dell wanders in the dark, marveling at the beauty of the moment and at Kimberly’s qualities—she’s “beyond beautiful, real, perfect, funny and crazy.” When she collides with him again, Dell clings to the moment and agrees to keep talking, even as he admits he had been telling himself, aloud, “Don’t miss her.” The sentiment is mirrored by Kimberly’s desire to live in the present, to savor the outdoors and the air, rather than to overthink the future. In a pivotal exchange, she agrees to pursue a relationship with him, even as their paths remain uncertain.
A year after their first breakup, we watch Dell—still hooked, still calculating—stalk Kimberly as he buys train tickets for the same northbound route. The Paris relationship swings hot and cold, with the ring reappearing and vanishing as if used to measure how close they are to a real commitment. In between, fragments of a phone conversation drift across the screen: Dell in NYC, Kimberly in LA, hinting at truth bends and unspoken hurts. Dell discovers she’s been texting with Jack, a man she briefly dated after the earlier split, and his reaction is to pull away, to end the relationship with a cold, cutting claim of never having loved her—an attempt to wound.
A nurse then calls with news no one wants to hear: Dell’s mother, whom he had saved from a near-fatal liver cancer years earlier, has died of a heart attack. The weight of loss intersects with the fragility of love, intensifying the emotional pressure on both sides.
In a Paris hotel room, Dell sits with Kimberly, trying to articulate the things he has come to love about her. He enumerates the small traits that have kept him tethered to her—the way her hair falls into her eyes, her distinctive rhythms, the way she makes him feel seen. Yet his narcissistic lens keeps peeking through, as he confesses that his feelings are, in large part, tied to her liking him. When he reaches for the engagement ring, Kimberly quietly acknowledges that he almost pulled it off, but the moment remains unsettled.
The final stretch of the six-year timeline weaves together the earlier snippets into a single pattern of longing and miscommunication. Dell finally responds after months of distance, recognizing that Kimberly may be engaged to Jack, a realization symbolized by the boxes of worn kitchen items, a photo, and the ring finger that now bears a ring. He shares a stream of recent dreams—an unsteady, non-chronological cascade of past events—that leaves him sure of one truth: he cannot imagine existing in the world without her love. The film closes on this uncertain hoped-for reunion, as the screen fades to black and the future remains, for the moment, unwritten.
Comet Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
15 key events in the order they happen, from “Present day moment of hesitation” to “Fade to black”. 14 events name a place, across 10 locations.
- 1
Present day moment of hesitation
Present day. Dell, dressed in a suit, stands outside with a bouquet, anxiously awaiting an answer to his knock. The moment is charged with anticipation as he rehearses his words and hopes for a favorable reply. The bouquet signals a hopeful, vulnerable plea.
When:Present day
- 2
Six years ago: LA meteor shower setup
Six years ago in Los Angeles, Dell lines up to secure a spot in the cemetery for a view of the meteor shower. In the crowd, a teenager tells him that his mother has been diagnosed with liver cancer, and we learn that he works for a pharmaceutical company and is portrayed as a narcissist. The reveal of his personal life sets the stage for his flawed approach to love.
When:Six years ago Where:Los Angeles
- 3
Six years ago: first spark with Kimberly
Six years ago, Dell meets Kimberly in a moment that leaves him dazzled by her eyes. She warns him to step out of the path of a speeding car, initiating their first contact. He asks for her number, while Josh interrupts, and Dell fires off a few verbal jabs that pique her interest.
When:Six years ago Where:Los Angeles
- 4
Two years later: Paris-bound wedding prep
Two years after their first encounter, Dell and Kimberly are in a hotel room in Paris, preparing to attend her friend's wedding. She is frustrated that their relationship needs to evolve to consider kids, signaling tension about their future. The scene captures the push-pull between desire and expectations.
When:Two years after first meeting Where:Paris hotel room
- 5
Six years ago: meteor shower reconnection
Back at the meteor shower, Dell stands in the dark, muttering about Kimberly's beauty and realness. Kimberly bumps into him again, and he joins her, insisting they keep talking. He privately admits that he has been telling himself not to miss her, signaling his anxious foreboding about what comes next.
When:Six years ago Where:Meteor shower site
- 6
Paris moment: ring and doubt
In a Paris memory, Dell pulls out an engagement ring and goes to propose. Kimberly tells him that when he says he loves her, it doesn't sound genuine. He stands up, slips the ring back into his pocket, and the moment collapses under the weight of doubt.
When:Two years after first meeting Where:Paris
- 7
One year after the breakup: stalking begins
One year after their first breakup, Dell begins stalking Kimberly, buying train tickets on the same northbound route. The couple remains hot and cold, oscillating between closeness and distance as their history continues to haunt them. He frantically recovers the ring after it has slipped from his pocket.
When:One year after first breakup Where:Train routes; various locations
- 8
On the train: fragile reconciliation
On the train, Kimberly begins to trust him again, sharing small moments of connection. Just before the journey ends, he is asked to disembark halfway to their original destination, highlighting how fragile their reconciliation remains. The dynamic shows how close they are to rebuilding something, only to be interrupted.
When:One year after first breakup Where:Northbound train
- 9
Mobile snippets reveal truth and desire
Interspersed between the train and Paris flashbacks are snippets of a mobile phone conversation between Dell in NYC and Kimberly in LA. She confesses she’s been on and off texting with Jack, the man she briefly dated after their first breakup. The fragmented calls add strain and reveal untruths that complicate their evolving bond.
When:Between train and Paris flashbacks Where:NYC/LA
- 10
The breakup: a painful farewell
Upset by the revelations, Dell ends the relationship, claiming to have never loved her and attempting to inflict pain. The breakup lands like a sharp cut, driving a deeper wedge between them across the ongoing timeline. The moment marks a painful, decisive turn in their story.
When:After phone revelations Where:Phone calls; various locations
Show the other 5 events of Comet Hide the last 5 events
- 11
Mother's death: a sudden loss
A nurse calls Dell to inform him that his mother, whom he had saved from liver cancer years earlier, has died from a heart attack. The news arrives just as old wounds flare anew, intensifying his emotional turmoil. The death adds a final, personal tragedy to his long, complicated journey with Kimberly.
When:After breakup Where:Phone call
- 12
Paris hotel room: love list and near-proposal
In the Paris hotel room memory, Dell sits Kimberly on the bed and lists the things he loves about her, revealing his habit of exaggerating affection. He insists the feelings stem from how she responds to him, not a genuine selfless confession. She tells him he was almost successful, leaving the moment unresolved and loaded with tension.
When:Paris memory Where:Paris
- 13
Present-day reveal: engaged to Jack?
The sixth-year timeline converges as Dell finally reaches out after months of Kimberley wanting to see him. Using his observational skills, he guesses she is engaged to Jack, evidenced by boxes of worn kitchen paraphernalia, a photo of them, and her ring finger bearing a ring. The moment wires present-day intentions with past suspicions.
When:Present day Where:Unknown
- 14
Dreams and confessions
Dell tells her about his recent dreams, a non-chronological stream of mostly past events, and says he cannot imagine existing in the world without her love. He frames his memories as a path to truth, insisting his feelings are real even if the past is messy. The scene crescendos toward an uncertain future as the narrative lingers in his declaration.
When:Present day Where:Unknown
- 15
Fade to black
The film closes on Dell's confession and the unresolved future between them, as the screen fades to black. The audience is left to wonder whether their bond can endure the years of distance and miscommunication. The final moment emphasizes the power and danger of a love shaped by memory and ego.
When:Present day Where:Unknown
Who Are the Main Characters in Comet?
2 characters, among them Dell (Justin Long) and Kimberly (Emmy Rossum): who each one is and the part they play in the story. Every profile links to the actor’s page.
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Dell (Justin Long)
Played by Justin Long
A nervous, suit-clad man who frets over every social cue and fixates on Kimberly. His career at a pharmaceutical company is shadowed by a narcissistic need for validation, while his obsessive attention to detail masks emotional distance. The arc deepens as he wrestles with loss—the looming hospital visits for his mother and the fear of losing love. He can be charming in moments, yet his self-absorption often undercuts genuine connection.
- 🧠 Narcissist
- 💔 Obsessive
- 🎭 Drama
-
Kimberly (Emmy Rossum)
Played by Emmy Rossum
A vibrant, present-focused woman who seeks real-time connection and a relationship that grows. She pushes Dell to commit and evolve, but also guards her own boundaries when the pace becomes too slow. Her warmth and vulnerability are tested by other romantic entanglements, including Jack, and by Dell's discordant honesty.
- 🌟 Independent
- 💖 Romantic
- 🗺️ Adventurous
Where and When Is Comet Set?
Comet is set in Los Angeles, Paris and New York (2010s). Here is why the time and place matter to the story.
When
2010s
A contemporary romance spanning six years. The film uses non-linear flashbacks and present-day fragments to reveal the evolving dynamic between Dell and Kimberly. Modern conveniences—mobile phones, trains, and air travel—ground the story in a late 2010s zeitgeist.
Where
Los Angeles, Paris, New York
The story anchors itself in Los Angeles, with a cemetery meteor shower setting that frames a fateful encounter. Paris provides a pivotal moment in a hotel room during a friend's wedding and a tense engagement scene. The narrative travels by train from Paris north and then crosses the Atlantic, with NYC phone calls and cross-continental movement underscoring distance, longing, and the fragility of connection.
- 🌆 Los Angeles
- 🌃 Paris
- 🚆 Rail travel
What Are the Themes of Comet?
3 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Love and Obsession, Time and Memory and Mortality and Loss.
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01
Love and Obsession
Dell's fixation on Kimberly reveals how love can slip into narcissistic self-absorption. The narrative shows attempts to control moments and shape outcomes, highlighting a push-pull dynamic between desire and ownership.
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02
Time and Memory
The story's non-linear structure uses six years of memories to shape the present, blurring past and present through flashbacks and phone exchanges. Dreams and recollections steer choices even when the future remains uncertain.
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03
Mortality and Loss
Dell's mother battles liver cancer and later dies, anchoring the romance in the finite nature of life. Mortality reframes desire, highlighting how vulnerability and love endure despite time, distance, and heartbreak.
What Kind of Film Is Comet?
Melancholic in tone, with variable pacing and a complex story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Melancholic
- Pacing
- Variable
- Story
- Complex
- Intensity
- Medium
- Ending
- Ambiguous
A melancholic and dreamlike romantic drama that weaves together fragmented memories of a passionate but unstable relationship, evoking a sense of nostalgic longing and the poignant uncertainty of love across time.
- nostalgic
- longing
- introspective
- romantic
- fragile
- reflective
- non-linear narrative
- star-crossed lovers
- memory
- fate and chance
Content notes: terminal illness, parent death.
Quiz
How well do you remember Comet? Test yourself on the story.
