The hour and a half film, “The Photograph”, directed by Stella Meghie, starring Issa Rae and Lakeith Stanfield, in my opinion, was a cute romantic drama about a journalist and photographer’s daughter. Maybe I’m biased because I went to school for journalism, like taking pictures, and have been a fan of actress-producer, Issa Rae’s work since her YouTube series “The Misadventures of An Awkward Black Girl” to HBO’s “Insecure”, but I liked this movie!
Ultimately you’ll have to watch for yourself because everyone thinks differently and has experienced different things in life. If you’re not a fan of romance or love story films then this movie may not be for you. In media, it’s kind of rare in 2020 to see a love story or romantic film between a young black couple.
As a millennial black woman, it was refreshing to see a young dark-skinned black woman and a young black man navigating love and life without being a dysfunctional “Love & Hip Hop” drama, traumatic “struggle love” stereotype. I usually don’t like the romantic type of movies, but this film was pieced together so beautifully. It was nice to see a darker-skinned black woman be the love interest and not the “sidekick friend” always consoling everyone else and being without a love interest.
It was also nice to see a young black man in a movie that was not an athlete or a criminal. From the song choices curated by musician Robert Glasper, ranging from songs by Anderson Paak and Lucky Daye, to Issa’s flawless skin and makeup I give the film production a 9 out of 10. I wish certain parts were more in-depth, but maybe that’s the purpose of art to make you come up with your own ending. Go check it out for yourself and see the movie trailer below.
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