Hard economic times result in businesses getting rid of employees. Unemployment becomes a nightmare for those forced to endure it. Countless dreams are dashed. These three consequences form the foundation of this excellent film about a New York City couple whose marriage is turned upside down by money worries.
Declan (Johnny Hopkins) is a 30-year-old filmmaker whose career trajectory is shattered when he is let go just when he was expecting a promotion. His wife (Erin Darke) has no choice but to go back to work while her husband becomes a stay-at-home dad. He feels proud about this sacrifice but at the same time channels what little energy he has left to working with a producer (Heather Matarazzo) on getting funding for the screenplay he has written.
Exhausted by all the infant care, Declan experiences mood swings between envy of filmmakers his age who have already made it big and anger toward the suicide of his former creative partner. His patient wife is troubled by these strong emotions. Eventually, she decides that he must choose between his passion for film and his obligations to their family.
Writer and director Anthony L. Fisher does a fine job capturing all the tensions at work as the durability and resilience of this couple is repeatedly tested. Johnny Hopkins and Erin Darke's characters are vulnerable individuals we can easily empathize with as they struggle to save their marriage.