Magic Hour's Raw Exploration Of Grief Will Break Your Heart

Published May 15, 2026, 5:20 PM EDT

Erin has to contend with her grief alongside him, which just complicates matters as friends and family come to try and help her work through her emotions. It's a tricky balancing act that doesn't always thread the needle perfectly. However, when it works, it works incredibly well.

Magic Hour isn't a wholly revolutionary film, but there's a lot of raw emotional touches that elevate it beyond many other movies focused on the grieving process. Bolstered by Aselton's direction and the screenplay she co-wrote with husband Mark Duplass, Magic Hour has just enough genuine emotional heft to make it a great modern tearjerker.

Magic Hour's Reflection On Grief Is Just The Right Level Of Heartbreaking

Magic Hour keeps the attention focused almost entirely on Erin as she struggles to overcome her grief from the loss of her husband. Relocating to a desert house gives Erin solicitude as she works out her feelings. The thing is, she still sees Charlie, conversing and joking and fighting with him over the course of the film.

This gives Erin a bit of relief, as she can't stand to be alone. However, it also aggravates her grief, especially whenever her temper kicks in and she lashes out. Charlie isn't innocent this either, doing his best to remain optimistic and calm but occasionally giving into outbursts of emotion that make it clear neither person was perfect — just human.

Notably, Erin has complicated feelings about Charlie. While there's clear heartache, there's also frustration with his sudden death, anger at the loss of a future together, and even occasional moments of reluctant acceptance over his fate. All these touches flesh out Erin's pain in ways that feel authentic rather than designed solely for the film.

That blend of grief is matched with a surprisingly serene Daveed Diggs, doing his best to remain calm as a "ghost" that is quietly trying to help his wife accept this unfortunate but unavoidable "new beginning." The interplay between the two is the core of the film, delivering on unexpected absurdist jokes that never undercut the humanity of either character.

Magic Hour Has A Secret Weapon Behind The Scenes

The secret sauce for Magic Hour is the creative team behind it. The film is directed by Katie Aselton and was co-written with her husband Mark Duplass, which explains a lot of the mumblecore touches and moments of unexpected comedy. However, that underlying understand of a long-term relationship is what gives Erin and Charlie's dynamic such a grounded feeling.

The relationship between Erin and Charlie sees them both lash out in anger, joke around when they can, and have moments of deeply felt love for one another. It's a relationship that feels genuine, which is key to the emotional authenticity of the film. Even beyond just having chemistry, their fights, apologies, and grief feel just as tangible.

The trick to the film's effectiveness is the way it is able to make all of that feel real, making Erin's emotions all the more impactful. Without it, Magic Hour would have been handsomely shot and well acted. Instead, that real sense of fear at losing a loved one is core to what makes the movie work on an emotional level.

While Magic Hour doesn't reinvent the wheel, it is a great showcase for both Aselton and Diggs. They get to mine their full gamut of talents as performers, charting their characters across an impossibly difficult time without ever letting them feel like charactures. It's key to what makes Magic Hour work as well as it does as a drama.