In a world where people’s hearts are made of inanimate objects and emotions are pragmatically dealt with rather than experienced, Anabel sticks out. She still feels big feelings and is determined to do things “the normal way.”

One winter afternoon she meets an intriguing but reticent stranger named George, and begins to fall in love. But after a series of emotional blows (including rejection by George), Anabel decides she can’t handle a life with such a surfeit of pain. She rips her heart out and delivers it to George, unlocking something in him he’s never experienced before.

Of course, distancing yourself from your heart to avoid being hurt isn’t the answer, as she soon finds out. Kim Albright’s quirky feature debut follows Anabel and George as they begin to understand the power of being in tune with one’s emotions and the joys of human connection.

With a crisp and witty script by Toronto writer Julia Lederer (adapted from her own stage play), the film carries shades of Yorgos Lanthimos in its combination of the absurd and the earnest. Featuring heartfelt (no pun intended) lead performances by Anna Maguire and Hamza Haq, With Love and a Major Organ offers a fresh take on romance in an increasingly disconnected world.