The masterpiece that is “The Photograph” is a must-watch! If romance is your go-to genre when looking for something to watch, “The Photograph” is your perfect match. Warning, there will be minimum spoilers in this, collegiettes. I have to admit, if you are looking for your typical, overly dramatic love story, this is not that. For that reason, I adore this film. This film is simplistic yet will have you captivated the entire time. “The Photograph” was directed by the one and only Stella Meghie, starring the very talented Issa Rae and Lakeith Stanfield.
Related Article: The Photograph Film Review
The film takes place in Louisiana and New York. Mae Morton (Issa Rae) is the daughter of a famous photographer while Michael Block (Lakeith Stanfield) is a journalist covering a story on Mae’s mother. Before and after these two characters meet in New York the audience is shown scenes of Mae’s mother and what her life entailed. This parallels Mae’s life later in the film, but most importantly, Mae’s love life. Stella Meghie tells this story in the most beautiful way through the cinematography and music that leave you in complete awe.
This is a film you may want to watch more than once. I discovered something new after every watch. To truly know what I’m talking about, look out for the scenes of Mae’s mother and father walking up the steps in Louisiana and then pay close attention to Mae and Michael walking up the steps in Louisiana. The colors in this film include very warm earth tones which make the picture look absolutely beautiful. When it comes to the music in this film, I internally screamed after hearing each song play. One minute you are vibing out to The Internet’s “Hold On” and Solange’s “Stay Flow” to classic oldies like Mos Def’s “Umi Says” and Anita Baker’s “Caught in the Rapture of Love.” If you’re an old soul like me and love vintage things this is definitely the film for you.
Overall, I think what I loved most about this film is that this film did an excellent job capturing a Black love story. This film did not focus on traumas but instead projected the simplest love story you can think of. I loved this film for what it was, you never hear “it’s a white movie,” in romance, it’s simply displayed as another romance film. “The Photograph” is exactly that and does a great job including the representation of Black people. Our stories deserved to be told and not seen as taboo just like romance films with a predominantly white cast.
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With that, I really hope you enjoy “The Photograph” as much as I did collegiettes, happy watching.