Love, Divided Plot Summary
The movie kicks off with Valentina, an aspiring pianist, settling into her new home after a breakup. Her cousin Carmen not only helps her move in but also gets her a job at a local bar. Valentina’s neighbour, David, is a recluse who hasn’t left his room in years. He’s a bit of a hermit, with only his cat for company.
David is a game designer known for a game called “Breaking Mind,” and currently, he’s working on a new game, which his friend Nacho thinks is too difficult for anyone to solve. Nacho is concerned about David’s isolation and tries to get him to socialize, but David doesn’t flinch. What worries Nacho even more is that David has no friends besides him and the cat.
On her first night, Valentina is startled by loud noises from the apartment next door, so she reluctantly stays at her ex-boyfriend’s place. The next day, back at her own apartment, she asks a neighbour about the noise. The man jokes about ghosts but then tells her the noise is actually coming from David’s room, which is on the other side of Valentina’s own apartment.
Why does David cave?
David and Valentina are total opposites. She loves playing the piano and creating music, while he can’t stand any kind of noise. Valentina enjoys being out and about, but David prefers to stay cooped up in his apartment, working on his puzzles and games. This change in David came after his fiancée, Maria, passed away. When Valentina suggests making a schedule to avoid disturbing each other, David shoots the idea down, insisting that one of them needs to leave.
Since David has been living there longer, he thinks Valentina should be the one to move out, but when she refuses, David sees it as a challenge. He vows to make a living there so unbearable for Valentina that she’ll have no choice but to empty the apartment.
After that day, David starts making more noise using all sorts of tools. He even busts out a chainsaw at one point, and Valentina responds by cranking up the piano volume.
When David starts banging on pots and pans, she sets up a metronome right by the wall to keep ticking away 24/7. Eventually, David caves and admits defeat, and asks Valentina to turn off the metronome. He also agrees with Valentina’s idea of planning a schedule so they can both work without getting on each other’s nerves. According to the schedule, Valentina will practice piano before heading to work, and once she’s out the door, David will swoop into his game development work.
How do David & Valentine end up becoming friends?
Despite not being the most sociable guy, David knows a thing or two about music. He listens carefully to Valentina practicing Beethoven and realizes something’s off. Beethoven’s music is a cry for freedom from pain, but Valentina’s playing it like a robot— no passion, no soul. At first, Valentina disagrees with David, but eventually, she gets where he’s coming from. Before long, they start communicating through the hollow wall.
David reveals he’s a game designer working on his new game, Ultimax. Valentina, on the other hand, shares her dream of becoming a professional musician. She’s practicing hard to get into a training program that will prepare her for playing in concerts. Valentina also opens up about her past. She used to be a singer-songwriter, creating her own music, but her ex-boyfriend, Oscar, who’s also a musician, convinced her to give up singing and focus on playing piano instead.
So, in a way, Valentina is living Oscar’s dream, not her own. Despite the wall between them, they become friends and start enjoying each other’s company instead of dreading it. David no longer hates it when Valentina plays or tunes her piano, and she isn’t bothered when David makes his usual noises.
Since Valentina hasn’t seen David, she mistakes one of her customers for him and ends up making dinner plans with the wrong guy. She cooks a fancy meal for the date, but when he starts talking, she realizes her mistake and kicks him out. It seems Valentina has gotten used to chatting with David. When David asks Valentina out to dinner, she prefers to keep things the way they are—close but separate.
They’ve become a couple without even seeing each other. They share their lives by dragging their beds near the wall and chatting about everything from childhood memories to favourite coffee to games. We even see them cooking the same dinner in their respective kitchens. When Carmen and Nacho find out about this, they think it’s a bit weird but also kind of romantic.
Why does Valentina decide to move out?
As discussed before, Valentina’s always wanted to be a singer for as long as she can remember, but her boyfriend Oscar kind of pushed her into becoming a pianist instead. This side-lined Valentina’s true passion, which was to sing and create her own music. She feels like she owes everything to Oscar, so she completely forgets about her dream. Every now and then, Valentina’s reminded of her old dream, but she can’t muster the courage to chase it.
She’s always seeking validation from Oscar, thinking if he says something’s bad, it must be bad, and if he says it’s good, then it’s great. Valentina invites Oscar over to play him her song “Hummingbird” and get his opinion, but instead of just listening, Oscar tries to make a move on her. Valentina doesn’t like it and kicks him out. After Oscar leaves, David tries to make Valentina see that Oscar is trying to control her life, but she gets upset, and they end up fighting.
Things get even messier when Carmen sneaks into Valentina’s apartment with a guy friend for some intimate time, and David mistakes them for Oscar and Valentina. Valentina tries to explain, but it doesn’t work, and they end up breaking up. Valentina also decides that it’s time for her to move out.
Do David & Valentina reconcile?
After a heart-to-heart with Nacho, David realizes how much Valentina means to him. He shows up at her audition and pushes her to be herself and sing from her soul. Valentina finally sees the truth in David’s words that she’s been living someone else’s dream because she was too scared to accept her own. Instead of playing Beethoven, Valentina sings and performs one of her own songs, leaving everyone in awe, including Carmen, Nacho, and David.
While the judges don’t approve of her piano skills, one of them praises her exquisite voice and gives Valentina the contact details of a music producer. Oscar tries to manipulate Valentina again, but this time, she’s determined to take control of her own life. Valentina rushes back to her apartment, and David and Valentina confess their love for each other in their own special way.
They decide to break down the wall between their apartments, turning two separate rooms into one. Valentina moves over to David’s side, and the film ends with them sharing a long-awaited kiss.
Read More: Love, Divided Movie Review