With The Photograph, director Stella Meghie (Everything, Everything) takes another promising step in her Hollywood career after tackling some more low budget fare along with episodes of Grown-ish and Insecure. The film is centered on two parallel stories of love and heartbreak during different time periods, but connected by family. The main story is of Mae (Issa Rae), a successful art curator in New York who is dealing with complicated feelings following the loss of her emotionally distant mother, Christina. Christina was a successful photographer, and she left Mae two letters and a photograph that reveal a side of herself that she never felt comfortable sharing. At the same time, Michael (Lakeith Stanfield), a successful reporter from New York, uncovers a story of lost love while interviewing Isaac (Rob Morgan) about life post-hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. His discovery leads him back to New York in search of Christina, and right to Mae’s doorstep.
Michael and Mae are drawn to each other from their initial meeting, and the movie follows their burgeoning relationship with flashbacks to Christina and Isaac’s romance. The movie hinges on feeling a connection between Michael and Mae, and luckily the chemistry between Lakeith and Issa is off the charts. The physicality that these two exhibit to show how they are feeling is sure to get some pulses racing. The dialogue between the pair is also not overwritten, feeling very natural and believable from start to finish. Their relationship is not overly dramatic, with only a few instances of unneeded plot contrivance popping up. While some may feel the movie moves at a bit too leisurely of a pace, it is refreshing to see adults grow into each other without having to stretch the bounds of believability.
As compelling as the relationship between Michael and Mae is, the young love of Christina and Isaac in 1980s New Orleans ties the movie together thematically. The flashbacks of the movie have an almost If Beale Street Could Talk atmosphere that feels classic and lived in. Christina and Isaac have a bittersweet romance that feels untenable from the beginning due to all the circumstances working against them. Christina is not content to settle down in New Orleans like her mother, no matter how much she wants to be with Isaac. She has an ambition that is not matched by Isaac, and she is not emotionally equipped to handle leaving her life behind with a proper farewell. As Mae reads her mother’s letters about this time in her life, she gains a deeper understanding of her mother that she never had while she was alive.
Overall, the movie is very enjoyable, if not slightly lacking in certain aspects of each time period. The current day relationship of Michael and Mae could have used a touch more emotional weight to really drive it home, while the flashbacks could have used a bit more of the undeniable sexiness that the modern day has in spades. The cinematography in this movie is truly gorgeous to behold, especially in the warm glow of New Orleans that gives the film extra vitality. The jazzy score by Robert Glasper brings a distinct personality to the move that works incredibly well. The Photograph is not going to break the mold of romantic dramas, but having an all black cast brings a whole different personality to the movie that is much welcome in modern mainstream cinema. This is the perfect movie to let wash over you on a sleepy Saturday afternoon or on date night with your significant other.
Video Quality
The Photograph comes to Blu-Ray with a 1080p presentation that beautifully captures the lovely cinematography of the movie. While not released on 4K UHD, this Blu-Ray presentation more than holds its own as it provides detailed, natural skin tones with a very impressive amount of detail in the set design and clothing. The film has a neutral color palette in the modern day and a slight warmer push in the flashbacks, especially when visiting downtown New Orleans. The film was shot on location in New Orleans, and the green of the vegetation pops off screen. The black levels hold up pretty well throughout, with only a very minimal amount of noise detected. Overall, The Photograph looks amazing on Blu-Ray and represents the film as it was intended to be seen.
Audio Quality
The film comes to Blu-Ray with solid 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track that handles everything this movie throws at it with ease. As you might expect, there is not a lot of action happening in this movie, but that does not mean there is a lack of activity in all of the channels. The track handles crowd scenes very well with activity coming from the appropriate directions. Music plays an important part of the movie, from the stellar soundtrack that makes a mark at every turn to the lovely, classic-sounding score to the live music that makes you feel like you are in the heart of New Orleans. All of these elements are balanced well with the dialogue so that nothing feels overpowered. Weather also plays a big part in the movie, and the sound effects come through in a powerful way that envelope the room. This is a top-notch audio presentation for a film that would not spring to mind as a audio heavy-hitter.
Special Features
- Shooting The Photograph: A five-minute discussion with the cast and crew about the origin of the film and the experience of creating the movie.
- Culture in Film: A four-minute overview of why telling this story of black love is important for representation in cinema.
- The Film Through Photographs: A two-minute look into the photography in the movie and the real-life photographer who took these photos for the film.
Final Thoughts
While it is rare to get many mid-budget romantic dramas these days, The Photograph is a good argument for why they are worth making. There are compelling stories that have not been told to death that deserve a chance to make a mark on an audience. While not without its flaws, this film is lovingly directed and has great performances from its cast. With a nearly flawless A/V presentation, this is a disc worth checking out to support these burgeoning voices. Recommended
The Photograph will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD on May 12, 2020.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
