Really Love (film)
Really Love | |
---|---|
Directed by | Angel Kristi Williams |
Written by | Felicia Pride Angel Kristi Williams |
Screenplay by | Felicia Pride |
Produced by | Stephanie Allain Kim Coleman Latisha Fortune Sanford Grimes Poppy Hanks Mel Jones Charles D. King Kim Roth Aaliyah Williams Angel Kristi Williams |
Starring | Kofi Siriboe Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing Blair Underwood Uzo Aduba Tristan Mack Wilds |
Cinematography | Shawn Peters |
Edited by | Steven Pristin Brian Ufberg |
Production companies | MACRO Homegrown Productions |
Distributed by | Netflix |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 95 minutes |
Country | American |
Language | English |
Really Love is a 2020 American romantic drama film directed by Angel Kristi Williams and co-written by Felicia Pride. The film is set in Washington, D.C. and centers the romance between a struggling artist (Kofi Siriboe) and an ambitious law student (Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing). Really Love debuted in October 2020 at AFI Film Festival. It received mainly positive critical reception and holds an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Plot
"Set in a gentrifying Washington, D.C., a rising Black painter tries to break into a competitive art world, while balancing a whirlwind romance he never expected."[1]
Cast
- Kofi Siriboe as Isaiah, a struggling artist
- Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing as Stevie, an ambitious law student
- Blair Underwood as Jerome, Stevie's Father
- Uzo Aduba as Chenai Hungwe
- Tristan Mack Wilds as Nick, Isaiah's friend since childhood
- Naturi Naughton as Sicily, Stevie's cousin
- Suzzanne Douglas as Anne, Stevie's mother
- Michael Ealy as Yusef Davis, Isaiah's colleague
- Gina Jun
- Jade Eshete as Mecca
- Marla Aaron Wapner
Production
Really Love is director Angel Kristi Williams' feature film debut and Felicia Pride's debut screenplay.[2] The two met through a mutual friend, after which Pride showed Williams the Really Love screenplay and invited her to direct the project.[3]
Williams stated that she was inspired by films including In the Mood For Love, Blue Valentine, and Love Jones.[4] The production designer was Nathan Parker and the cinematographer was Shawn Peters.[4][5] It was produced and financed by Homegrown Pictures and Charles D. King's production company MACRO.[4] The artwork done by Isaiah in the film was created by artists Gerald Lovell, Chanel Compton, and Ronald Jackson.[5][3]
On July 8, 2018 it was announced that Kofi Siriboe was cast in a lead role in the film.[6] Uzo Aduba, Naturi Naughton, Tristan Wilds, Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing, and Jade Eshete were announced as cast members on July 26, 2018.[7] Michael Ealy was announced on July 31, 2018.[8] The film is one of the last projects completed by Suzzanne Douglas prior to her death in 2021.[3]
The film was shot beginning in July 2018 on-location in Washington, D.C., as well as in Baltimore, Williams' hometown.[6] Shooting locations included the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Baltimore School for the Arts, the Parkway Theatre, Dovecote Cafe, and Williams' grandmother's home in Park Heights.[5]
Release
The film was originally set to premiere at South by Southwest in March 2020. However, after the festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it debuted at AFI's virtual film festival in October 2020.[4]
Really Love began streaming on Netflix on August 25, 2021.[9][10]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 86% of 7 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10.[11]
In a review for Film Threat, Alex Saveliev compared the film to If Beale Street Could Talk and praised it as a "gentle, poignant examination of two young people at the dawn of self-discovery".[2] In a similarly positive review, Robert Daniels wrote for The Playlist, "“Really Love” is a timeless black romance. Kristi Williams is an assured new voice already nestling herself inside audiences’ hearts."[12]
Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing and Kofi Siriboe received a Special Jury Recognition for Acting at South by Southwest.[13]
Soundtrack
The official soundtrack with an original jazz score composed by Khari Mateen was released on September 17, 2021.[14] Screenwriter Felicia Pride said the soundtrack's ambiance was influenced by tracks like "Sumthin Sumthin (Mellosmoothe)" by Maxwell from the film Love Jones.[14] Ari Lennox, Kamasi Washington, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, and others appear in Really Love.[3]
Awards and nominations
2020:
- Winners – Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing and Kofi Siriboe, Special Jury Recognition for Acting, SXSW Film Festival
- Nominee, Angel Kristi Williams, Best Narrative Feature, SXSW Film Festival
References
- ^ "Really Love". Metacritic. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c Saveliev, Alex (2020-10-17). "Really Love". Film Threat. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d Penrice, Ronda Racha (2021-08-25). "Kofi Siriboe, Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing and Mack Wilds, Stars of 'Really Love,' Speak On Showing Our Journey To Forever". EBONY. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d Olsen, Mark (2020-10-15). "This year's AFI Fest is virtual and open to all. Here's what you need to know". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2021-08-21.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c Weiss, Max (2021-08-25). "Director Angel Kristi Williams Discusses Baltimore's Influence on Her Film 'Really Love'". Baltimore Magazine. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b N'Duka, Amanda (2018-07-18). "'Queen Sugar's Kofi Siriboe To Star In 'Really Love' Film From MACRO & Director Angel Kristi Williams". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-08-21.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ N'Duka, Amanda (2018-07-26). "Uzo Aduba, Naturi Naughton, Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing & More Round Out Cast For MACRO's 'Really Love'". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-08-21.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ N'Duka, Amanda (2018-07-31). "Michael Ealy Boards 'Really Love' Romance Film From MACRO". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-08-21.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Mangum, Trey (2021-07-27). "'Really Love': Kofi Siriboe And Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing Romance Film To Debut In August On Netflix". Shadow and Act. Retrieved 2021-08-21.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Jones, Okla (2021-08-20). "First Look: Kofi Siriboe And Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing Star In 'Really Love'". Essence. Retrieved 2021-08-21.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Really Love". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- ^ Daniels, Robert (2020-10-17). "'Really Love': Angel Kristi Williams' Debut Is A Timeless Black Romance [AFI Review]". theplaylist.net. Retrieved 2021-08-21.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Olsen, Mark (2020-03-24). "Canceled by coronavirus outbreak, SXSW Film Festival names award winners". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2021-08-21.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Abraham, Mya (2021-09-16). "Netflix's 'Really Love' To Release Official Soundtrack By Composer Khari Mateen". VIBE.com. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
External links
- Really Love at IMDb
- Really Love on Netflix