Laura Dern and Liam Hemsworth’s new Netflix romance Lonely Planet ticks all the boxes for a good movie night in – a beautiful love story, an exotic location, and chemistry between two talented actors. Plus, it’s written and directed by Susannah Grant , who previously penned Erin Brockovich . The film follows a reclusive novelist (Dern) who attends a prestigious writer’s retreat in Morocco, hoping the remote setting will unlock her writer’s block.
While there, she meets a young man (Hemsworth) — a surprising bond turns into a love affair that pushes the duo to see that neither is who they thought they were. Speaking in a video interview, it’s clear that this filming experience allowed Dern and Hemsworth to establish a rapport that’s palpable even from across the screen. The portrayal of an artists’ journey of self-acceptance, reflected through the eyes of a loving partner, struck a chord with Dern.
She was excited by the idea of exploring how “to be loved fully can also give room for you to understand yourself on a deeper level.” For Hemsworth, it was examining the power of relationships that foster trust, understanding and the freedom to be one’s authentic self. He said, “I think it’s a reminder of how important it is to be in a relationship that allows you to just be you and not feel like you have to hide things or change things about yourself.
That, to me, is what real love is; being able to truly be yourself and have the freedom and the trust to.