Evening, which failed to materialize in two previous attempts, was finally filmed in the hands of Hungarian director Lajos Koltai. In his inaugural English-speaking film, he confronts two double-edged swords: the stigma associated with an American “chick flick” and a story that’s uplifting while simultaneously depressing.

The film is fixated on the deathbed of a woman who reflects decades back on the few golden moments of her life. Despite two bad marriages, Koltai – who speaks with a thick accent from Budapest – hones in on just two days. He says the film pays homage to the up-and-down nature of life and the big decisions we make.

“Everyone is trying to belong to someone,” he said in a Chicago interview with Adam Fendelman. “This life is not without problems. Even though there weren’t many golden moments, at the end she goes back to them because she was so busy living her everyday life. Don’t forget to ask the important questions at the end.”

Koltai, who willingly accepts all the blessings and the burdens of life, has designed this film so people can realistically relate.

“We had a beautiful, red carpet opening in New York. Yesterday, though, I was waiting at the airport for five hours with canceled flights and everything going wrong,” he said. “Now I’m having a good time with you. In an hour, I’m going to Minneapolis and who knows what will happen. Life’s always up and down.”

He encourages audiences to realize that, accept it, and let it be. With great intention, you learn very little about her typical years. In the last two weeks she’s alive, she announces to her two daughters a name they’d never heard before. It’s her memory of being in true love even though he wasn’t the man she ended up marrying.

Shot with picturesque aesthetics and due to the topics covered, you’d be quick to tag the film as a chick flick. Only recently learning the meaning of the phrase, Koltai sensitively disagrees: “It’s not a chick flick.”

It is. Despite many critics and moviegoers who scoff at the concept, though, there’s no shame in admitting it and there can be great virtue in exploiting it. He added: “People are unsure about their lives. They go to the cinema to have important questions answered. I’m giving them some answers with this film.”

Choosing between a relationship that’s romantically fated and one that’s necessarily stable is often one of life’s loftier decisions. Though it’s unclear whether she regrets the choice she made, Koltai wants you to question your own life and the choices you’ve made.

Based on the novel by Susan Minot and adapted for the screen by Minot and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Cunningham, its timing the third time around finally fit. Cunningham said in the film’s production notes: “It came along at a time when my own mother was very, very ill, which made it feel like providence.”

Koltai says he only shot what was needed. While many first film cuts range between three and four hours, Koltai says his first version came in at two hours and 19 minutes.