One of my favorite films from the Tribeca Film Festival was one that I hadn’t even planned on seeing.

Luckily, I happened to stumble upon a ticket on the day of the screening and after watching Matthew Brown’s bittersweet and affecting drama, I believe I was destined to see Maine on that day. Fleeting love and missed connections are all too familiar situations that happen in everyday life, yet the number of films that successfully tackle these complex and heartbreaking feelings is very few. In Maine, Brown embraces the romance of nature and creates a love story that may be devoid of a stereotypical happy ending, but does not shortchange on emotional satisfaction.

Laia Costa and Thomas Mann play two hikers on a journey, both literally and figuratively, who cross paths while on the Appalachian Trail. When we meet thirty-something Bluebird (Costa) and twenty-something Lake (Mann), their relationship seems like it goes back for years, even though they had only met days prior. Their comfort around each other is evident in their horseplay, light flirtation, and jokiness– the word ‘privacy’ means nothing to them (public urination isn’t taboo– in fact, we learn that an awkward bathroom situation is how they first met). Each of them is saddled with personal baggage– Bluebird as a married woman but insisting on independence and Lake, more reserved of the two, struggling to find his sense of purpose and direction.

The intimacy of the environment and their growing bond comes to a head when, after getting caught up in the moment, Bluebird and Lake kiss. Even though the affection is mutual, Bluebird makes it clear that she cannot continue to put herself in this position with Lake, she is married after all. Understanding but obviously disappointed, Lake does the best he can to get through the next couple of days until Bluebird leaves the trail for home. Under different circumstances, it seems like this relationship could have thrived, but the reality is that not everything that seems meant to be, will be. This makes one question: Can the heart make a mistake? Can loving someone be wrong?

Under different circumstances, it seems like this relationship could have thrived, but the reality is that not everything that seems meant to be, will be.

Maine is an intimate film set in a remote location in the backwoods of Maine (filming on the actual Appalachian Trail was prohibited) with only a handful of cast members, but the intense effect this film had on me was lasting. Laia Costa’s performance as a conflicted woman torn between her head and her heart hit all the right emotional notes, while also keeping it light in the film’s funnier moments. Bluebird has the personality of a grown-up Moonie from The Florida Project and that is a wonderfully refreshing thing to see on screen. Thomas Mann grounds Costa’s energetic performance as the sensitive and emotionally-developed Lake, and watching his heart get broken is one of the hardest things to sit through.

Director Matthew Brown’s aesthetic choices, like filming in square 1:66:1 format and keeping the production close to the vest, are all details that make Maine feel so authentic. Jessica Lea Mayfield’s 2008 song ‘For Today,’ off of her “With Blasphemy So Heartfelt” album, is the perfect musical companion to Maine– highlighting the tenderness and vulnerability both Lake and Bluebird experience throughout their journey, both individually and together. Brown’s decision to stay on a close-up shot of Bluebird while Lake sings an acoustic rendition of ‘For Today’ is one of the film’s most powerful moments. We see Lake come out of his shell as he embodies the lyrics over the course of the four-minute song while Bluebird can’t help but ride an emotional rollercoaster that draws us in. It’s moments like these that make this low-key film stand out as a wonderfully unconventional love story.

‘Maine’ is 85 minutes.