It’s not often I find myself watching solely British-made films, and especially Romance films. However, something about Rye Lane drew my attention. It just seemed, at first glance, to have an interesting premise and a cast that I wasn’t very familiar with but seemed strong. Upon watching, I realized just how talented everyone, from cast to crew, were in making this film. The acting is great, the writing is smart and extremely well done, and the film knows when to get in and get out. It doesn’t waste time, which helps tremendously. What really blew me away though was the cinematography, it was fantastic in almost every scene.
Rye Lane follows the story of Dom and Yas, two young people who meet each other by chance and start a budding romance and friendship. Dom, played by David Jonsson, is getting over a bad breakup when he encounters Yas, played by an electric Vivian Oparah, in the bathroom of an art gallery, where they start their friendship. Along the way they visit many locations around South London, learning more about each other.
The two main characters have immediate chemistry, and it’s the driving factor of the entire film. With Jonsson and Oparah’s fantastic performances, this film fails. Each actor brings a ton of nuance to the character that makes them feel real, as if I was watching a couple of my friends on a movie screen. It really worked and I was invested in them immediately.
What I really loved about the film is that the majority of the plot occurs over the course of one day. Up until the final 20 minutes, all we see is these two character’s adventures over the course of a day. It worked so well to get me into the characters and sold me on their relationship, especially since it wasn’t overdone either. It didn’t feel like romance was moving too fast, but also didn’t drag out either.
Where Rye Lane truly succeeds is behind the camera. The writing is absolutely phenomenal, and while I don’t pick up on a ton of British slang, I knew how real the film felt. Oftentimes with Rom-Coms of any kind, things get played up for the sake of the film. Crazy things happen, characters say or do things that don’t make sense but rather to fill a plot point, etc. It can make for a tedious watch. Rye Lane is able to avoid all of these errors.
In addition, the camerawork was phenomenal. There were points throughout the film where the cinematography blew me away to the point of audibly speaking about it to no one as I watched it alone. From canted angles to intense closeups and beyond, it was experimental cinematography done the correct way. It didn’t take the focus away from the characters, yet it enhanced almost every scene.
Final Thoughts
If it weren’t for the strange choices in music (I will concede that I don’t know if it is popular British music), and a couple weird, but minor plot points in the middle of the film that almost took me out momentarily, Rye Lane could be a perfect movie. That said, I still believe heavily that it is extremely worth the watch. Especially so if you’re looking for a good romance film.
