The Photograph may be the most low-key Valentine’s Day release ever. Going in, I feared some delayed outbreak of violence or tragedy or testosterone — but no. It’s just a serious, levelheaded narrative about two couples, one in present-day New York City, one in Louisiana in the 1980s.
Mae (Issa Rae, Little), a well-off museum curator, is the daughter of Christina (played in flashbacks by Chanté Adams), an immensely successful photographer who has just died. Christina has left Mae a photo of her younger self and a long, handwritten letter describing her first great love, with a Louisiana fisherman named Isaac (Y’Lan Noel, The First Purge) — who, in the present (played by Rob Morgan, The Last Black Man in San Francisco), is being interviewed by journalist Michael (Lakeith Stanfield, Knives Out). Older Isaac has that same photograph of Christina, which of course leads Michael to Mae. From there, cue the Rodgers and Hammerstein template for dual love stories, one matching our strong-willed leads (in flashbacks), the other depicting young people in the hazardous throes of first love.
The Photograph is a slick and traditional production set in a politically neutral utopian vision of the present, complete with Canadian streets posing as New York, stunning hair and costumes even on minor characters, incredibly gorgeous and unrealistically spacious apartments, a thriving print media (Michael works for a magazine modeled on The New Yorker) and concert tickets you can put in the mail. I say this not to bash the film but to place it in context: Written and directed by Stella Meghie (Everything, Everything), it achieves its desired glossy Hollywood finish, and it goes about its business with skill and just enough sentimentality to keep viewers engaged.
The script is efficient, the dialogue occasionally clunky, and there’s one big twist that any sophisticated viewer will be surprised to learn was supposed to be a surprise. But plenty of heart is provided by the cast. Adams, a relative newcomer, gets the film off to an emotionally grounded start with a videotaped interview of Christina that resonates throughout the film. Both her performance and Rae’s are exemplary, giving moviegoers shining examples of smart, self-possessed women who love men but will not be dominated by them. Stanfield, meanwhile, has solidly established himself as a leading man who can handle any role with calm effectiveness and a touch of dry humor. The talented supporting cast includes cheeky comedian Lil Rel Howery (Get Out) as well as a somber Courtney B. Vance.
Given the long history of airheaded rom-coms offered for Valentine’s Day viewing, The Photograph is certainly a step up — an adult drama that treats both its lovers and its audience with respect and sympathy. It’s like a Nicholas Sparks story with fewer melodramatic touches, no toolboxes or horses and more well-rounded characters. It may not break any new storytelling ground, but as a date-night movie, it more than fills the bill.
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