Really Love (film)
| Really Love | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Angel Kristi Williams |
| Written by | Felicia Pride Angel Kristi Williams |
| Screenplay by | Felicia Pride |
| Produced by | Mel Jones Charles D. King Kim Roth Aaliyah Williams Angel Kristi Williams |
| Starring | Kofi Siriboe Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing Uzo Aduba Mack Wilds Naturi Naughton Suzzanne Douglas Jade Eshete Blair Underwood Michael Ealy |
| Cinematography | Shawn Peters |
| Edited by | Steven Pristin Brian Ufberg |
| Music by | Khari Mateen |
Production companies | MACRO Homegrown Productions |
| Distributed by | Netflix |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
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.
Plot
[edit]"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
[edit]- Kofi Siriboe as Isaiah Maxwell, a struggling artist
- Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing as Stevie Richmond, an ambitious law student
- Blair Underwood as Jerome Richmond, Stevie's Father
- Uzo Aduba as Chenai Hungwe
- Mack Wilds as Nick Wright, Isaiah's friend since childhood
- Naturi Naughton as Sicily Richmond, Stevie's cousin
- Suzzanne Douglas as Anne Richmond, Stevie's mother
- Michael Ealy as Yusef Davis, Isaiah's colleague
- Jade Eshete as Mecca Gerima
- GoldLink as himself
Production
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]- 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
[edit]- ^ "Really Love". Metacritic. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
- ^ a b Saveliev, Alex (October 17, 2020). "Really Love". Film Threat. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- ^ a b c d 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.
- ^ a b c d 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.
- ^ a b c Weiss, Max (August 25, 2021). "Director Angel Kristi Williams Discusses Baltimore's Influence on Her Film 'Really Love'". Baltimore Magazine. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ N'Duka, Amanda (July 31, 2018). "Michael Ealy Boards 'Really Love' Romance Film From MACRO". Deadline. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Jones, Okla (August 20, 2021). "First Look: Kofi Siriboe And Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing Star In 'Really Love'". Essence. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- ^ a b Abraham, Mya (September 16, 2021). "Netflix's 'Really Love' To Release Official Soundtrack By Composer Khari Mateen". VIBE.com. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
- ^ "Really Love". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
- ^ Daniels, Robert (October 17, 2020). "'Really Love': Angel Kristi Williams' Debut Is A Timeless Black Romance [AFI Review]". theplaylist.net. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- ^ Staff, Shadow and Act. "'Really Love' Wins SXSW Jury Award For Acting". Shadow and Act. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
- ^ Olsen, Mark (March 24, 2020). "Canceled by coronavirus outbreak, SXSW Film Festival names award winners". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
External links
[edit]- Really Love on Netflix
- Really Love at IMDb
