It’s a sign of the times that the romantic LGBTQ drama has steadily ascended from a niche subgenre to an awards season mainstay; with the added profile, so too come higher expectations. So-yong Kim’s Lovesong, which finally arrives in theaters this month after debuting at Sundance over a year ago, is a tender little romance, beautifully performed by Riley Keough and Jena Malone, but it ultimately doesn’t bring enough to the table to distinguish it in an increasingly crowded genre.

Keough stars as Sarah, a young woman raising her daughter (Jessie Ok Gray) while her career-oriented husband (filmmaker Cary Joji Fukanaga, appearing briefly via Skype) works overseas. Frustrated with the loneliness of her day-to-day life, Sarah goes on a road trip with Mindy (Malone), an old friend from college. As they travel, a long-dormant attraction reignites between them, causing Sarah to doubt the path she’s taken in life.

Lovesong’s tremendous leading ladies are its chief appeal; few actresses are as consistently interesting as Jena Malone, and Riley Keough seemingly gets better with every film. Malone’s been doing noteworthy work for well over 15 years, ever since melting Jake Gyllenhaal’s heart in Donnie Darko, while Keough burst onto the scene with Mad Max: Fury Road and turned in a complex, fearless performance in Starz’s The Girlfriend Experience.

Both actresses continue their high standard of layered and compelling performances here. Keough is the inarguable star, and she threads a persistent sense of alienation into even her happiest moments, always carrying the all-consuming weight of motherhood on her lonely shoulders. Malone strikes a strong contrast, all playful asides, sidelong giggles, and flirtatious comments, and it’s in that contrast that Lovesong crafts a deliberate and powerful sexual tension between the two.

That attraction lends itself it to a few strikingly romantic moments where Kim’s evocative direction and editing (where she shares a credit with co-writer Bradley Rust Gray) shine just as bright as the performances. However, Lovesong consistently struggles to distinguish itself, occasionally displaying a glimmer of personality or perspective but mostly standing on the strength of its leading ladies.

The closest Lovesong comes to making a lasting impact is in its second half, where it makes an abrupt time jump and places Sarah, Mindy, and Jessie (now played by Sky Ok Gray) in a new circumstance best left unspoiled. In addition to a new setting, Lovesong suddenly sprouts an ensemble that includes Ryan Eggold, Brooklyn Decker, and the particularly impressive Marshall Chapman. There’s a richness and specificity to many of the scenes with the ensemble that the Sarah-Mindy romance doesn’t always attain, and it’s in these moments that Lovesong becomes the best version of itself; generous, tender, and astutely observed.

Though Lovesong is a fairly unremarkable entry in a crowded genre, it also refuses to indulge in some typical shortcomings. Its admittedly suffocating focus on Sarah and Mindy’s relationship pays off with a bittersweet but conclusive ending, putting a decisive period on the sort of story that often ends with a frustrating ellipsis. It’s a film where every decision comes from the right place and every performance is strong and deeply felt, but one that ultimately never becomes more than a diversion, and its considerable charms fail to linger for more than its 84-minute runtime.