The Photograph review: “You can learn a lot from others’ regrets” are the first words of young, hungry reporter Michael Block’s (Lakeith Stanfield) latest piece for The Republic, a theme and through-line that is much explored in Stella Maghie’s new romantic drama. Taking its inspiration from films like The Notebook in terms of its structure, The Photograph is a story of reflection, of love lost and love spurned, of history and legacy and what we leave behind, however big or small.
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The Photograph review
Spanning two different timeframes, we yo-yo from the modern day to the sun-soaked, sweaty surroundings of Louisiana of the 1980s. In the former, writer Block is writing a piece on Isaac Jefferson (Rob Morgan in the modern world, Y’lan Noel in the 80s), a fisherman who has been hit hard by various different forces when he happens upon the work of famed photographer Christina Eames (Chante Adams) who happens to be Isaac’s long-lost love of his life. Block seizes the opportunity to give his piece fresh perspective and starts to research into Eames career, leading him to her daughter Mae (Issa Rae), a museum curator who is still dealing with her mother’s sudden death but both are drawn to her history and, soon enough, each other.
Having found success in recent years with hit HBO show ‘Insecure‘ (in which Rae stars), writer/director Maghie has slowly become one of the finest filmmakers around and The Photograph only echoes such sentiment: a soulful, reflective film that purposefully plays out in its own time, Maghie’s visual style is perfectly suited to the material here and with the hazy, warm work of her cinematographer Mark Schwartzbard, every scene feels like its own beautifully captured photograph. Indeed, with its smooth jazz-inspired score, there’s a relaxing nature to the film that is hugely welcome as the film’s rhythm becomes a little stifled in places.
Related: The Photograph trailer
The romance, however, doesn’t quite come together: there’s plenty of the usual moments – first kisses, dances, playful arguments over which musicians and artists are better than others – but in both cases, the chemistry doesn’t quite sparkle as it should despite some lovely moments between each couple. The ensemble performs well, though: Stanfield and Rae continue to impress in almost everything they do whilst Adams, in particular, delivers a beautiful performance that’s full of both pain and pleasure. Hugely impressive (as ever) is the typically avuncular Lil Rel Howery as Block’s brother who delivers some much-needed levity to proceedings.
While it doesn’t do too much original with the sub-genre, The Photograph is a passionate and thoughtful romantic drama that while a little stinted in places, is still worth checking out, not least for its ensemble who are universally impressive.
The Photograph is released in cinemas on 7th March 2020.
