The Photograph

Lakeith Stanfield and Issa Rae create the kind of easy chemistry that propels whole movies. Their courtship is characterized by a refreshing naturalism, complete with misinterpreted signals, pregnant pauses, and talks that genuinely sound like early-stage dating. Michael, a journalist recuperating from heartbreak, is portrayed by Stanfield with his signature lyrical intensity, while Rae's Mae is cautious and ambitious, her fragility showing gradually rather than through exposition. Their scenes together have a lived intimacy that makes you think these individuals are actually getting to know one another.

Instead of detracting, the dual-timeline structure, which follows Mae's mother Christina (Chanté Adams) in Louisiana in the 1980s as her daughter makes her way through modern-day New York, enhances. With her moments with Y'lan Noel brimming with the unique intensity of first love, Adams gives a standout performance as a young woman divided between romantic sacrifice and artistic aspirations. While the production design mimics the time without being caricatured, cinematographer Mark Schwartzbard bathes both eras in beautiful, distinct palettes—cool blues and greys for the present, and warm honeyed tones for the past.

The movie avoids melodrama and artificial tension in favor of treating Black romance with a unique dignity. Characters have imperfect but ultimately honest communication; disagreements are not the result of fabricated misunderstandings but rather of professional demands and emotional availability. The meticulously chosen soundtrack and jazz-infused score evoke a sense of elegant longing.

Sometimes, director Stella Meghie's leisurely pace becomes lethargy. There isn't enough dramatic tension in the middle hour, which is centered on Michael and Mae's growing bond, to warrant its relaxation. Without a clear narrative goal, scenes of cooking together, seeing galleries, and talking about photography blend together. The movie may have put too much faith in its mood, believing that audiences will be captivated by it alone.

In contrast to its preparation, Christina's storyline's resolution seems rushed. Adams is denied the catharsis moments her performance merits because of the sudden disclosure of her decisions and their repercussions. In a similar vein, Mae's career path as a curator is given little attention; we see her commitment to her mother's history without fully appreciating her own creative individuality.

Supporting characters serve more as plot devices than as actual persons, especially Michael's ex-girlfriend and Mae's coworker. The third act rides on charm instead of building to an emotional crescendo because the screenplay avoids cliched love difficulties so meticulously that it occasionally forgets to create any obstacles at all.

Staff:

Directed by: Stella Meghie

Written by: Stella Meghie

Produced by: James Lopez and Will Packer

Starring: Issa Rae, Lakeith Stanfield, Lil Rel Howery, Rob Morgan, and Courtney B. Vance.

Cinematography: Mark Schwartzbard

Edited by: Shannon Baker Davis

Music by: Robert Glasper

Production companies: Perfect World Pictures and Will Packer Productions

Distributed by: Universal Pictures

Release date: February 14, 2020

Running time: 106 minutes