Reminders of Him, directed by Vanessa Caswill and based on the novel of the same name by Colleen Hoover, is a story about second chances, redemption and forgiveness. It stars Maika Monroe as Kenna, a young mother determined to reconnect with her daughter after five years in prison for a car accident that killed her boyfriend, Scotty (Rud Pankow), and Tyriq Withers as Ledger Ward, an ex-athlete and current bar owner who also happens to be Scotty’s best friend and is helping raise his daughter.
Reminders of Him is the second book-to-film adaptation of Hoover’s, after the successful (and now infamous) It Ends With Us, but this film feels almost like a fresh start on the big screen for the author who co-wrote the screenplay alongside Lauren Levine. Like its movie predecessor, ROH tackles deep heavy topics, but with more of a lightness within the story itself.
A thought that kept coming back to me as I watched the Reminders of Him was that it felt warm. There was something comforting about the film, almost like the way a Christmas movie is comforting. It didn’t take long for me to realise that it was Caswill’s use of light and colour that gave the film this tone, making it inviting even as it dealt with complex themes. The visual tone lends itself well to Hoover’ story, blending its humour and heartfelt nature with its harder aspects.
It allows you to come in, get comfortable, and then work through your stuff.
Reminders of Him asks what forgiveness, restoration, and rehabilitation look like, and if we are willing to give them/allow them to happen. Interestingly, Kenna isn’t the only one seeking out a second chance in the film. All the characters have had to begin again in some way- from raising a kid all over again at an older age, to restarting life after a career ending injury, to putting life back together after getting sober, to giving a relationship that you thought was over another go. Characters in this film have had to embrace change in their lives (“it’s the nature of being human,” Caswill tells me in my interview with her), but the only way those transitions work for them is if the other characters extend that chance to them or walk that change with them.
This circumstance of characters being in both categories, so to speak, makes Kenna’s search for redemption less ‘one note’ and more nuanced. In Reminders of Him, characters must learn to look past singular actions and see the total being, and this comes, in its truest form. with time spent with the person.
Reminders of Him is in the romance genre, but to me, its true charm is in the ways different characters choose to remain in each other’s’ corners. If you’re a fan of the book, I think you’ll really enjoy the film. If you’ve never read the book, it’s still a pretty solid watch.
To hear our interview with director Vanessa Caswill, click here
Reminders of Him is available in theatres on Friday, March 13th, 2026.
