The review:
Stella Meghie’s The Photograph is a slow buffet of pleasure that is delightful for the person in the mood for not much happening, and probably tedious for everyone else.* It’s also a movie that hinges on the back and forth of conversations, rather than actions.** I’m here to champion love stories in two eras, Louisiana and New York City, the gorgeous faces of the leads, because if we can make the same action film forty-two times a year, surely we can find room for a languid romance.
The verdict: Good
Cost: $1.425 due to Redbox promos, but actually free because I used a gift card.
Where watched: at home
(When I first introduced it, who could have imagined this category would have a long period of redundancy.)
Consider also watching:
Further sentences:
*I was quite happy: I’d had some wine, enjoy love stories, LaKeith Stanfield, and was interested to catch up with Issa Rae. (I don’t have HBO, so haven’t seen Insecure.)
**The other film directed by Meghie, The Weekend, was similarly slow and conversation based. Oh wait, she also did Everything Everything. That had a little more action, but it also was adapted from a novel.
Questions:
- How well matched do you think Sara and Michael are?
- What do you think the odds are of Lil Rel Howrey breaking out of his small-bit sidekick role. (I’ve seen him play this role in Get Out, Brittany Runs a Marathon, and this.)
Favorite IMDB trivia item:
The one there isn’t good enough to be a favorite, so instead read this interview with director Stella Meghie.
Other reviews of The Photograph:
- Monica Castillo, RogerEbert.com
- Stephanie Zacharek, Time
