ReelBob: ‘The Seasons: Four Love Stories’ ★★★

By Bob Bloom

Love has no age nor time limit. And that seems to be the message behind writer-director Paul Schwartz’s sweet movie “The Seasons: Four Love Stories.”

Schwartz’s work is an anthology — four short films set during different seasons and featuring couples of various ages.

All are dealing with varying challenges — in summer, young couple Nick and Sasha are on the verge of breaking up; in autumn, Emma and Kevin deal with tension in their marriage; in winter; senior citizens Jane and Bill argue over their break-up 60 years earlier as they debate reuniting; and in spring Shiloh, a young girl, experiences first love and first heartbreak.

The movie has a pay-it-forward attitude as a character from one story appears in another — usually in a supportive manner.

“The Seasons” is a positive feature in which it seems all problems and difficulties are resolved in a nearly happily-ever-after fashion.

What makes this premise work is that the stories go by quickly — the entire movie is about 82 minutes.

The stories begin in the summer of 2021 and end in the spring of 2022. The changes created by the COVID pandemic are part of a couple of the stories but are not emphasized.

Smartly, Schwartz does not overly dramatize his stories, nor are they too syrupy. Schwartz applauds love in all its iterations, celebrating the power of individuals to overcome whatever obstacles they perceive, find and hold onto love.

“The Seasons: Four Love Stories” is a quiet feature that sneaks up on you, offering some joy and positivity in a world cluttered with noisy bombast and a growing sense of frustration and futility.

I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, 4K UHD, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow me on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook at ReelBob.com or the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.

THE SEASONS: FOUR LOVE STORIES
3 stars out of 4
Not rated, language