The Photograph: 3 Reasons you should watch this love story

There’s no epic love story for Lakeith Stanfield and Issa Rae’s characters, but if you go into The Photograph with the right expectations you will love it.

This weekend, Stella Meghie’s The Photograph arrived in theaters just in time for Valentine’s Day. While the reviews are mostly positive, there are those who went in to the movie with certain expectations that they felt were unfulfilled.

The strength of the film was in its realness and the fact that it didn’t need any overly dramatic moments or gestures to make you feel things. The cast was great from top to bottom and the side characters really keep the story moving around the leads while their connection is growing slowly in the foreground.

For most of the film I did not feel like Lakeith and Issa’s characters connected at all but I was too concerned about Issa’s mother’s, played by Chante Adams (Roxanne Roxanne), story to care.  That is the real love story and we’ll break that down later.

Here are the three main reasons you should be purchasing a ticket to The Photograph.

The cast

Both Lakeith Stanfield (Atlanta) and Issa Rae (Insecure) are big names in their own right but the supporting cast in The Photograph is incredibly strong as well. The names include: Chelsea Peretti (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Lil Rel Howery (Get Out), Kelvin Harrison, Jr. (Waves), Teyonah Parris (If Beale Street Could Talk), and Rob Morgan (Stranger Things). Morgan’s performance as the older version of Isaac was powerful, but Y’lan Noel’s (Insecure) performance as the younger Isaac was equally powerful.

Chante Adams was the real show stopper however in her role as Christina, and I expect we’ll be seeing her face a lot more in the near future. Lil Rel was a standout for his comedic moments but also because he added some depth to Lakeith’s character, Michael, by calling him out for being the type to fall too quickly for a woman. Without him adding this layer to Michael, we would have had a tougher time understanding what was happening with him.

The music

I am a person who can be heavily influenced by the music in a film. In The Photograph, they won me over from that standpoint from the opening scene as Michael is driving down a back road in the south listening to Anderson .Paak. While I know that Paak isn’t exactly a mainstream name, the song “Come Home” has an infectious melody and lyrics that will speak to anyone settling in for a romantic movie.

3-time Grammy winner Robert Glasper put together the soundtrack which is filled with smooth Jazz music that carries the mood throughout the movie. We also get to hear several Al Green tracks in one scene alone, as well as more modern R&B music. The music team did an amazing job with their selections which managed to get your attention without taking attention away from what was happening on-screen.

Music also ends up being a big part of what allows Mae and Michael to connect during the film.

The Love Story

Earlier in this review I said that you weren’t getting an epic love story for Lakeith and Issa’s characters and you don’t. For Michael and Mae we see the very beginning stages of a relationship and you may question the chemistry between the two but their story is not the one that is important.

They have come together because Michael is following a story about Mae’s mother (a famous photographer who has passed away) and he needs a few things from her collection. Mae is a museum curator on top of being the executor of her mother’s estate. In the course of his research he uncovers the heartbreaking love story of Mae’s parents and indirectly directs the way that each of them approach their budding relationship.

Following the story of Mae’s parents, finding out why things went the way they did for each of them is the real love story in The Photograph. By the end of the movie it forces you to appreciate what is happening with Michael and Mae. For Christina and Isaac, you know the end at the beginning, but it’s that end that shapes Michael and Mae’s beginning.

If you’re down for some great music, a fun cast, and a layered love story The Photograph is now in theaters.