Really Love (film)

Really Love is a 2020 American romantic drama film directed by Angel Kristi Williams and co-written with 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 leads Wong-Loi-Sing and Siriboe received a Special Jury Recognition for Acting at South by Southwest.

Really Love
The film poster shows a close-up of lead actors Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing and Kofi Siriboe lying down on their backs with their heads facing opposite directions.
Directed byAngel Kristi Williams
Written byFelicia Pride
Angel Kristi Williams
Screenplay byFelicia Pride
Produced byMel Jones
Charles D. King
Kim Roth
Aaliyah Williams
Angel Kristi Williams
StarringKofi Siriboe
Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing
Uzo Aduba
Mack Wilds
Naturi Naughton
Suzzanne Douglas
Jade Eshete
Blair Underwood
Michael Ealy
CinematographyShawn Peters
Edited bySteven Pristin
Brian Ufberg
Music byKhari Mateen
Production
companies
MACRO
Homegrown Productions
Distributed byNetflix
Release dates
  • October 15, 2020 (2020-October-15) (AFI Film Festival)
  • August 25, 2021 (2021-08-25) (Netflix)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryAmerican
LanguageEnglish

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

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]

Soundtrack

The official soundtrack with an original jazz score composed by Khari Mateen was released on September 17, 2021.[11] Screenwriter Felicia Pride said the soundtrack's ambiance was influenced by tracks like "Sumthin Sumthin (Mellosmoothe)" by Maxwell from the film Love Jones.[11] Ari Lennox, Kamasi Washington, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, and others appear in Really Love.[3]

Reception

Really Love received positive reception. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 86% of 7 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10.[12]

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."[13]

Awards and nominations

2020 SXSW
  • Nominee, Grand Jury Award for Narrative Feature – Angel Kristi Williams[14]
  • Winners, Special Jury Recognition for Acting – Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing and Kofi Siriboe[15]

References
  1. "Really Love". Metacritic. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  2. Saveliev, Alex (October 17, 2020). "Really Love". Film Threat. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  3. Penrice, Ronda Racha (August 25, 2021). "Kofi Siriboe, Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing and Mack Wilds, Stars of 'Really Love,' Speak On Showing Our Journey To Forever". EBONY. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  4. Olsen, Mark (October 15, 2020). "This year's AFI Fest is virtual and open to all. Here's what you need to know". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  5. Weiss, Max (August 25, 2021). "Director Angel Kristi Williams Discusses Baltimore's Influence on Her Film 'Really Love'". Baltimore Magazine. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  6. N'Duka, Amanda (July 18, 2018). "'Queen Sugar's Kofi Siriboe To Star In 'Really Love' Film From MACRO & Director Angel Kristi Williams". Deadline. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  7. N'Duka, Amanda (July 26, 2018). "Uzo Aduba, Naturi Naughton, Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing & More Round Out Cast For MACRO's 'Really Love'". Deadline. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  8. N'Duka, Amanda (July 31, 2018). "Michael Ealy Boards 'Really Love' Romance Film From MACRO". Deadline. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  9. Mangum, Trey (July 27, 2021). "'Really Love': Kofi Siriboe And Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing Romance Film To Debut In August On Netflix". Shadow and Act. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  10. Jones, Okla (August 20, 2021). "First Look: Kofi Siriboe And Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing Star In 'Really Love'". Essence. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  11. Abraham, Mya (September 16, 2021). "Netflix's 'Really Love' To Release Official Soundtrack By Composer Khari Mateen". VIBE.com. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  12. "Really Love". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  13. Daniels, Robert (October 17, 2020). "'Really Love': Angel Kristi Williams' Debut Is A Timeless Black Romance [AFI Review]". theplaylist.net. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  14. Staff, Shadow and Act. "'Really Love' Wins SXSW Jury Award For Acting". Shadow and Act. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  15. Olsen, Mark (March 24, 2020). "Canceled by coronavirus outbreak, SXSW Film Festival names award winners". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
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