Rye Lane
Composite Score: 82.87
Starring: David Jonsson, Vivian Oparah, Poppy Allen-Quarmby, Simon Manyonda, Karene Peter, Benjamin Sarpong-Broni, Malcolm Atobrah, Alice Hewkin, and Omari Douglas
Director: Raine Allen-Miller
Writers: Nathan Bryon and Tom Melia
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance
MPAA Rating: R for language, some sexual content, and nudity
Box Office: $1.57 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
Rye Lane is the directorial debut of Raine Allen-Miller, which follows Dom and Yas – two friends of friends who have recently gone through breakups – as they spend a serendipitous day getting to know each other and themselves. It’s an aggressively British romantic comedy starring David Jonsson as Dom and Vivian Oparah as Yas, both delivering fun blends of charisma, youth, and chemistry as they wander South London together. The film received critical acclaim after its debut at Sundance and acquisition by Disney/Hulu, earning BAFTA nominations for Outstanding British Film and Best Leading Actress (Oparah). It has also been celebrated for its style and originality, which help it stand out from your “typical” rom-coms.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
If you struggle with British accents and can’t handle subtitles (why are you here in the first place?), then this film could be a difficult one for you to get into, let alone get through. It’s a very British film that celebrates the culture of its environs at every turn, using atmospheric music and noise to set the stage in a near-music-video style of blending sound and movement. It can be overwhelming if it’s not something that you’ve prepared yourself to experience. For me, all of the creative flourishes just add to the film’s brilliance and excellence as a romantic comedy, but for others it might feel more like an attempt at being artsy for the sake of it. It’s a film that stands out from the formulaic films of its genre while still very much following its formula, but its deviations might be too much for genre purists.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
Rye Lane blends humor, style, substance, and performance beautifully into something entirely its own that will probably never be replicated (nor should it be). Originality in rom-coms is something that’s been difficult to come by since 2010, with so many films in the genre following the same familiar points, character beats, and archetypes. (It’s not that romantic comedies have gotten inherently bad, but often those who make them haven’t been able to hit the fun and originality of the golden age that was the 90s and early 2000s because they’ve been trying to replicate the old rather than playing with the new.) The best rom-coms of the last fifteen years or so have been the ones that deviate from the formula in key ways or that embrace the genre’s sincerity rather than trying to poke fun at it to fit in with the times – see Crazy, Stupid, Love., Sleeping with Other People, Crazy Rich Asians, and Always Be My Maybe for reference – and the very best have done both – see Silver Linings Playbook, The Big Sick, About Time, and Bridesmaids if you need some examples. Rye Lane is yet another of those films that does both. Stylistically, Raine Allen-Miller uses unique camera work, real settings, and almost choreographed blocking to create an originality of setting that feels entirely its own – almost otherworldly in certain moments. At the same time, the strong performances of both Jonsson and Oparah lend themselves to one of the most raw and sincere “first date” romances since Before Sunrise. Jonsson blends an almost self-aware level of self-deprecating comedy with authentic expressions of hopeless romantic to make Dom into this believable if melodramatic romantic lead that you can’t help but root for. However, it is Vivian Oparah who truly stands out from the crowd as the film’s leading lady. Everything she does feels instantly iconic, from her outfits to her storytelling to her unforgettable appearance at lunch in the film’s inciting incident to the way that she slowly opens up and showcases her vulnerability throughout the day to the end of the film that you’ll have to see for yourself to know about, every moment is memorable, entertaining, fun, and undeniably winning. When I saw her on the BAFTA nominations list, I was so thrilled that they were recognizing such a strong performance and that we could potentially see more of her and more characters like her in the future.
Raine Allen-Miller has crafted Rye Lane as one of the most original and endearing romantic comedies of all time, bolstered by a solid leading man in David Jonsson and an unforgettable leading lady in Vivian Oparah, all of which culminate in a film fully worthy of its place among the Greatest Films of All Time. Some of the stylistic choices might not sit well with all audiences, but those who appreciate them are sure to find themselves a hidden gem with this one. You can currently stream this film on Hulu if you haven’t yet checked it out or need to revisit it in the coming days.
