The familiar Stepehen King setting of Maine is the location for earnest and worthy Netflix short-story adaptation. From the outset, the film is comfortably familiar King territory; here, an elderly billionaire (played with a still gravitas by Donald Sutherland) befriends a young church reader Craig (sensitively portrayed by Jaeden Martell) and hires the boy to read to him, but after the senior's death, iPhone messages seemingly from him continue to appear. This is a gentle, sombre and contemplative meditation on the more emotive King themes of separation, death and emerging technology (placed at the dawn of modern smartphones) set to a melancholy rites-of-passage story. It is a simple tale, told elegantly, that does not resort to sensationalism or chap theatrics, which may test the patience of some viewers, but this film is a thoughtful and engaging if somewhat obvious piece overall.
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