True love stories are often hard to come by in Hollywood, especially if they represent people of color. It’s why so many film fanatics still reference Love & Basketball and Love Jones when speaking of romantic films featuring Black actors — although these films were released over 20 years ago.
While there have been many great films about love sprinkled throughout the last couple of decades, Eugene Ashe’s Sylvie’s Love leaves an impressive imprint reminiscent of the period pieces Titanic and The Notebook.
Directed and written by Ashe, who saw the lack of representation in Hollywood and decided to do something about it, Sylvie’s Love follows the budding summer romance of aspiring saxophone player Robert (Nnamdi Asomugha) and a young lady named Sylvie (Tessa Thompson), who works in her father’s Harlem record store. Despite their connection with each other, Sylvie has a fiancé who is fighting in the war, and Robert is married to his career as a member of a jazz quartet.
While there is something on both sides that hinders Robert and Sylvie from being fully engulfed in their newfound passion, the growth that results from the burdensome choices that they continuously have to make throughout the years is more than satisfying near the end of the film.
Set in 1950s New York, the story does an exemplary job of capturing the cultural nuances of the times, while telling an uncorrupted, refreshing account of the universal story about the one that got away. Even deeper than that, Sylvie’s Love delivers a euphoric reminder of that youthful crush or the first time falling in love (Is someone cutting onions?).
One of the best aspects of the film is that the two lovebirds share a common connection and bond to music, another universal theme. Without giving the film away, it was interesting to see if love would outlast the attachment to music. Sometimes, lovers will connect over a common thread, only for that thread to snag or break the moment the commonality fades away. But, what is better than being able to have both, the love and the connection?
The authenticity of the pic can be attributed to a masterful script and the graceful portrayal of the characters by a thoughtfully selected cast, which also includes Eva Longoria, Lance Reddick, Aja Naomi King, and Regé-Jean Page.
The film’s music and cinematography also helped Ashe create a splendid film. Fabrice Lecomte helmed the music of the film, while Declan Quinn was the director of photography.
The MouthSoap highly recommends this film for those who miss having those beautifully told love stories without any hidden agendas or deflections.
Sylvie’s Love premieres Dec. 23 on Amazon Prime Video.
