I found out about this movie because I hadn’t yet learned how to work our DVD player well enough to skip the trailers. As I patiently sat through the trailers, waiting to watch Wild (Reese Witherspoon), I saw this one and thought it looked worthy of a library loan. It’s worth a lot more than that.

• Release: 2014
• Director: Daniel Barnz
• Starring: Jennifer Anniston, Adriana Barraza, Anna Kendrick
• Screenplay: Patrick Tobin
• Spoilers below? For sure.

All the haters on Rotten Tomatoes can go sit on a tack. They miss the point of this subtle script. The point of the story is to show how Claire (Anniston), a woman suffering from chronic pain, finds a way to get unstuck. For most of the story, she’s in limbo, having neither the courage to live in spite of her pain, nor the courage to die and escape it.

Reviewers who complain the story plods along fail to identify with Claire’s position. The story’s pacing reflects Claire’s hopeless circumstances. Every day for her is a struggle, and the story moves slowly because Claire’s life moves slowly. Telling the story with a brisker pace would completely undercut the tragedy of Claire’s life.

What’s so great about the story, then?

In a word (okay, two): character development. Claire’s character is complicated and prickly, with a bitter edge, but she’s still sympathetic. She struggles to forgive herself for the accident that killed her son and stuck her with this chronic condition. She abuses the good will of the people who support her. She leans on bitter humor to cope with the endless struggle of a life that seems unlikely to ever change or see better days. And yet, she tries to connect. She offers kindnesses. You can’t help but root for her.

Adriana Barraza is no slouch in this story, either. Her character, Silvana, is deeply loyal even though Claire doesn’t seem to deserve it. Then you catch a glimpse of Claire’s affection for and kindness to her, and you understand it’s a deeper and more complicated relationship than what it appears to be.

These are the kinds of characters I want to learn how to write. People who lack flaws bore me. People with complicated personalities and contradictory traits and behaviors, on the other hand, fascinate me endlessly.

And it’s not just the story that’s great.

All the reviews will tell you that it’s the performance of a lifetime for Jennifer Anniston, and I’m not going to argue with them on that point. Her portrayal gets to the heart of what it means to suffer on a daily basis, complete with loads of anger. She balances the anger and the bitterness and a low-grade fear that life won’t ever get better with a deep and poignant longing to connect. Her performance is so subtle and rich. She’s truly amazing.

The ending isn’t triumphant, but it is hopeful. I’m not surprised the film didn’t do well at the box office; I never heard of it when it was released, and it’s not exactly a feel-good movie. It is, however, totally worthy of your time.