Rye Lane was one of the most buzzed about movies from Sundance this year, now it's out on Disney+ in Canada (and I believe Hulu in the US) and I would recommend this to damn near everybody.
To put it simply, this is one of the best romantic comedies we've had in years, and one of the absolute best of the year so far. The film follows Dom and Yas, two Londoners coming off of fairly recent breakups who meet at a mutual friend's art show. Over the course of a day (much like Before Sunrise/Sunset) the two get to know each other and come to terms with things.
On the surface there's no new ground being broken here, but it's the infectious energy that first time director Raine Allen-Miller brings to the project that make this a must watch film. From the overhead bathroom shot that opens the film alone it's clear that this will be something beaming with creativity, and it never disappoints on that front. The rapid editing and direction create a sense of creative chaos that shows the frazzled head-spaces of these two characters still adjusting to a messy time in life, giving backstory through fun flashbacks that put Dom and Yas in imagined versions of the scenarios that got them to where they are. But the creativity isn't only present in the storytelling and editing, the film is also just bursting with colour. Forget the drab colours you associate London with, the production team behind this allow it to explode with colours, damn near every shot bursting with vibrance. The cinematography also has a lot of fun framing and movement I loved, which only highlights the exciting sets and costumes.
All the excitement on the production side is great, but it would ultimately mean nothing if the writing wasn't worthwhile or the two leads didn't bring that same energy, but luckily neither is the case. The story does have its predecessors, but the fun way of telling it mixed with a screenplay riddled with funny moments and great dialogue make it still feel wildly fresh. As for the acting, David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah own this. Their chemistry is just wildly infectious. Individually they have great moments and consistently great comedic timing, but when you put the two together there's some lightning in a bottle that really just feels magical. The supporting cast is also pretty great, we don't spend much time with anyone but each of their exes' as well as some other characters they meet along the way are a ton of fun to be around, not to mention there's one terrific cameo.
If I have any complaint here, it's really just that I wanted more. At an hour and twenty minutes it's a short one and it flies by, but every minute of that is packed with fun and passion that you just can't help but love. I can't wait to see what everyone involved in this does next, we don't get romantic comedies like this often so I would recommend it highly.
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