The High Cost Of Living

The High Cost Of Living is a story about a drug dealer Henry (Zach Braff) and a pregnant woman Nathalie (Isabelle Blais) who loses her baby when Henry accidently hits her with his car. Having been over the legal limit and having possession of illegal prescriptions he panics and drives away leaving an unconscious Natalie on the street. Waking up in the hospital she finds out that the accident had led to a miscarriage but she still has to carry the baby. Nathalie’s husband Michael (Patrick Labbé) is unable to cope with the tragedy and becomes emotionally disconnected and reserved. As Nathalie becomes increasingly more depressed Henry is unable to shake off the hit and run and decides to search for the victim. As Nathalie and Henry’s lives cross paths once again unknown to her that Henry was the hit and run driver, Henry becomes the guardian angel that her husband can’t seem to be. His increasingly cavalier role of being a compassionate and charismatic stranger brings great relief to Nathalie. While the two become closer the police slowly beings the track down Henry and their new found love shatters as Nathalie discovers the true identity of the driver.

Many people may think that High Cost is a predictable cliché drama but it is a fantastic film that shows a great deal of character development for Henry. At the start he’s portrayed as a Montreal drug dealer and already we have a negative perspective on him and even more so when he leaves Nathalie behind. As his conscious drives him to discover the truth about what happened, he befriends Nathalie and we see him transform from a drug dealer to a husband like figure that comforts Nathalie. It’s a fantastic visualisation of a character’s arch unfolding as the story progresses. Henry’s character arch is driven by wanting to become a better person after the hit and run. The High Cost Of Living really is an emotionally driven film that makes the audience like Henry even though he isn't a character that should be liked.