Electric chemistry between Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha ignites this loving, lovely tribute to
Hollywood melodramas
In trying to painstakingly recreate the spirit of a specific genre from a specific moment in time, film-makers often fall into pastiche, focusing so hard on the nuts and bolts that they forget to include any heart. A loving homage can then feel like an exercise in technique, all style and no soul. With his second full-length narrative feature Sylvie’s Love, writer-director Eugene Ashe is paying tribute to the glossy studio romances of the 50s and 60s with the keen eye of someone acutely aware of the subgenre he’s targeting, from the plot machinations to the production design. But what makes his film so very special is his equally vested interest in matching the era’s grand emotional stakes. It’s a film that both looks and feels the part, a handsomely made love story that’s easy to fall in love with.
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