I saw this with my wife. I liked it. She hated it and wanted to walk out. What I liked were the performances. It's a tough topic and I thought Amanda Seyfried pulled it off well. My wife was focused on the story. She thought it started off depressing and then went downhill. She ordinarily doesn't mind dark subject matter, but she also wants Hollywood endings that end on an "up" note and the birth of a grandchild didn't get her there. I think it also hit home because it touched upon some personal areas for her.

One thing that we both didn't like was the ambiguity over Julie's father. At first, he's only visible in flashback and he's absent. My first thought was that her dad sexually abused her. Later, in a flashback, they show her running up the stairs and her father is just about to beat her so we think "Oh, it must be physical abuse". Then he reappears and shows her how to paint but begins to touch her in what - if left unchecked - would be inappropriate for a father/daughter and we think "Oh, so maybe it was sexual abuse after all." I know that some moviemakers think its artistic to "let the audience interpret" but we both hate that. If they're going to say something, say it - don't just let it hang out there. Then again, maybe that's how its written in the book? Anyway, that bugged us both.

It's not an emotional roller coaster, just a steady cruise down in the dumps. If you don't like sad movies then this one definitely isn't for you, because when it gets depressing it stays that way and when you think it's gonna get better it doesn't. I think it's beautiful in a melancholic way because things don't always end well and these things happen so it'd be disingenuous if every movie or story you read suggests otherwise and they live happily ever after. Only thing close to a fault the movie had for me is Julie's character is only explored surface level but I think if she wasn't it might've made the movie a little too upsetting to watch for people affected by or going through something similar.

Theme itself as expected as stated in the beginning of the movie. Similar theme movie or mental illness had been seen so many time but this one totally done a excellent job. Amanda acts so well but just miss a big award, this might not make her winner but she already the best actress in my head. For the storyline, it is not anything dramatic but probably the very truth side of what postpartum depression is. Things look normal from the outside but in depth it's not ok... it's very sad after watching but bring awareness to stay alert of this illness.