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One of the things that’s always great about some movies is introducing you to worlds you haven’t really seen before. Other countries, other cultures, even neighborhoods near you you simply haven’t seen before in new ways. In the US we have our own America-centric perspective on the world, especially when it comes to what we think they think is normal. Sometimes you get shown something that seems familiar though, in a way that is also entirely something new. A world that you’ve seen before, or at least you honestly think you have, even if you actually are being introduced for the first time.
Rye Lane comes from director Raine Allen-Miller in her feature debut and is written by Nathan Bryon and Tom Melia. The film follows two people in South London who randomly meet and then continue to get closer and further apart over time in that classic rom-com way. We first meet the two where they meet, in neighboring stalls in a unisex bathroom at an art show — Yas (Vivian Oparah) overhears someone crying and is curious enough to find out why.
It turns out it’s a young guy named Dom (David Jonsson), who has only just ended his relationship after his ex-girlfriend mistakenly sent sexy photos to him instead of to the man she’s been cheating with. It’s a chance meeting, but although they part ways at first, it’s a spark of something more to come. Because the art show was run by a mutual friend of theirs, they get linked up more formally later on and begin hanging out.
Yas eventually reveals that she too broke up with her boyfriend recently, and it was not particularly the healthiest relationship either. Obviously this is the sort of thing that bonds people, and it doesn’t hurt that they too immediately form a rapport, talking for hours and getting quite deep quite soon. We end up seeing a pretty hilarious scene where the two have lunch with Dom’s ex and her new man where Yas defends Dom and the entire vibe turns on the rom-com upswing.
For a long while we simply get immersed in their lives as they hang out more and get to know each other more, and we know that something is going to change because that’s the way of things. The two actors have a really visceral rapport, so it’s easy to get caught up in their ups and downs in emotion and adventure. They go through some particularly difficult moments, even some crazy ones, and you have a feeling about the arc of the rest of the movie.
The actual final act of the movie isn’t really surprising but it is satisfying, tying their lives together neatly enough that you feel justified in the walk along the way. It’s also something new to see this particular world in another country and a culture that’s just different enough to really show you something.
It’s not really the funniest rom-com sort of movie, but the vibes are strong and you do feel carried away with this journey until the end — and it’s the right sort of ending for this sort of movie. The two leads are really the main draw here, with naturalistic, easygoing dialogue that connects you immediately and makes the characters seem real and fully drawn out.
Because it’s not a madcap comedy or high intensity melodrama it might not appeal to those looking to be on the floor in tears, one way or another, but it’s an utterly charming endeavor, so it’s still a worthwhile moment just to be reminded of how nice connection really can be.
Rye Lane has a run time of 1 hours 22 minutes and is rated rated R for language, some sexual content and nudity.
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