Some stories don’t just entertain — they minister. And Reminders of Him, the long-awaited film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s beloved novel, is exactly that kind of story. It opens in theaters today, March 13th — and if you’ve been waiting for a film that meets you at the intersection of grace, grief, and redemption, this is your sign.

After a perfect outing with her boyfriend, Kenna (Maika Monroe) makes an unbearable mistake that sends her to prison. Seven years later, she returns to her hometown, hoping to rebuild her life and earn the chance to reunite with her young daughter, Diem — a little girl she has never truly known. When Diem’s custodial grandparents refuse Kenna’s every attempt to see her daughter, an unexpected compassion — and then something deeper — develops between Kenna and former NFL player and local bar owner Ledger (Tyriq Withers). As their secret romance grows, so do the dangers, leading Kenna toward heartbreak and, ultimately, the hope for a second chance. 

We talk a lot about forgiveness in our communities. We preach it, we sing about it, we testify to it. But Reminders of Him asks the harder question: what does it cost the people on the other side of the hurt?

Kenna’s story is not one of a villain seeking sympathy. It’s the story of a woman who made a catastrophic mistake, paid her debt to society, and now has to face the messier, longer road — the one where legal freedom doesn’t equal relational restoration. The grandparents who won’t let her see Diem aren’t wrong for their grief. And Kenna isn’t wrong for her longing. That tension? That’s real life. That’s where grace actually lives.