Sylvie’s Love
AMAZONThe romance genre always seems a particularly difficult slice of film to get right, especially as the typical storyline has been done countless times. Sylvie’s Love, the mainstream directorial debut of Eugene Ashe, is one of those stories we’ve seen before. Yet, Ashe somehow manages to construct a movie that, despite its incessant familiarity, is immensely watchable and certainly one of the most entertaining romantic stories of the past couple of years.
The core acting duo of Tessa Thompson and ex-NFL star, Nnamdi Asomugha no doubt deserve a lot of credit for elevating Ashe’s script. Thompson is the eponymous Sylvie; she works in her father’s record store and spends her days aspiring to work on television. Asomugha is Robert, a saxophonist and Sylvie’s ideal partner. It’s just a shame that life keeps getting in the way of their deserved romance.
Ironically, it’s hard to believe Thompson and Asomugha’s chemistry for the most part, and there’s never a point throughout the film where you’re explicitly rooting for the two to get together. But, as individual characters, they are incredibly fleshed out and well-rounded. It’s in seeing the two go about their lives over the course of many years that is the true pleasure of the movie. The scenes of Thompson rising through the ranks as a producer on a cooking show are some of the film’s best. Wendi McLendon-Covey has a memorable, but short, guest turn as star chef, Lucy throughout these scenes. Because of how accessible the characters of Sylvie and Robert are, it doesn’t particularly matter that the romantic chemistry is lacking as it’s the ideal of them wanting to be together that one can get behind.
The era itself, 1950s Harlem, is embraced wholly and wonderfully. Ashe’s decision to set the film in that particular time frame allows for production designer, Mayne Berk, costume designer, Phoenix Mellow and the whole makeup department to explore all sorts of fun options. It’s rare not to be taken aback by what’s onscreen. The colours, as well, are constantly explosive. With the help of his team, Ashe has impressed with a beautiful looking film.
Sylvie’s Love is a solid movie and one that shows a lot of future potential for director, Eugene Ashe. Thompson continues her path to stardom and Asomugha also holds his own against her. Despite the fact that the romance itself is hard to connect with, Ashe finds enough material within his characters that it becomes really hard not to enjoy the story as it plays out onscreen. The setting itself provides enough of a romantic surrogate.