‘Rye Lane’ - Sundance
Raine Allen-Miller reinvents the romantic-comedy genre utilizing vibrant colors, a fisheye lens, and British rap to present a truthful depiction of London that celebrates Black joy in Rye Lane.
Yas and Dom meet at their eccentric mutual friend’s art show centered around mouths as they continue their meet-cute onto the streets of South London. Outside of the loudness of the outlandish exhibit, they swap breakup stories avoiding all responsibilities for the day to help each other get over and back at their exes. Vivian Oparah and David Jonsson have natural chemistry as Yas and Dom as they quickly fall into a quick rhythm allowing them to play well off one another in their exchanges. Their personalities juxtapose as Yas is an outspoken costume designer and Dom is a shy accountant. As they continue on with their eventful day including an awkward lunch with Dom’s ex and karaoke they open up their inner feelings of what they have been too afraid to admit to the world.
Frequently compared to similar walk-and-talk rom-coms such as the Before series and Notting Hill, Rye Lane stands on its own with two charming leads set specifically in the dating world of the 21st century. Writers Nathan Byron and Tom Melia have a grasp on the impact of one person or moment in someone’s life that will stick with them for probably the rest of their life. There has to be some sense of inquiry and attraction to spend an entire day with someone as you both walk the same way. There is a choice in the matter that as their relationship unfolds, both Yas and Dom gift each other that indescribable singular moment that will be a highlight of their lives.
Full of jokes that fit current societal trends, Rye Lane feels more like a time capsule of the period rather than dated like a majority of recent romantic comedies. It is a perfect insight into the world of how young people date and move on. The writing coupled with Allen-Miller’s directing has such an affection for the world of the South London neighborhood, Peckham. She understands that not only should the central relationship be compelling to the audience, but their surrounding world should be a visual masterpiece to the human eye. The neighborhood is its own character with the loud colors and mouth-watering burritos that introduces audiences to a side of London they have never experienced through film.
With this being a directorial debut, Raine Allen-Miller has a future in Hollywood as bright as the neon coloring equipped throughout her energetic British rom-com refresh.