Sylvie's Love | Film Review

This is an Amazon original, and I had been aware of it for a while because I'm a fan of Tessa Thompson, but all I really knew about it was that it was a love story. And I'm always ready to see a love story.

In the '50s, Sylvie (Tessa Thompson) and Robert (Nnamdi Asomugha) meet when Robert takes a job at Sylvie's father's record store. This meeting sparks a deep connection that changes their lives forever.

I heard a lot of amazing things about this film before I saw it, but I was actually a bit disappointed with the end result.

But I'll start with the things that I liked.

There's something really innocent and pure about these two characters and their story. They feel transparent - what you see is what you get, and I really liked that about them.

Music is a big part of the film, and it does a really good job of keeping the audience in the right time period. You almost feel like you live in the 50s/60s too.

There is amazing chemistry between our lead actors. They work really well together, and you truly believe in their love story. Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha do a great job of making their characters feel really authentic. It's not hard to fall in love with them.

There was also something really interesting in the way that these characters continued to find each other. You can't help but root for them.

However, there were a few things about the movie that I didn't like.

From the description of the film, I thought this was going to be an epic love story, unlike what has been seen before. But this romance was actually very run-of-the-mill. It wasn't the most interesting story.

I felt like these characters never really developed as much as I wanted them to. There is a time jump in the film, but it never felt like the additional years added anything to these characters, particularly Sylvie.

Speaking of Sylvie, she was the character that I had the hardest time with. She is the cause for a lot of her own problems, and I could never quite sympathise with her.   

I also thought that the film teased issues that they then didn't go into. For example, it is mentioned early in the film how hard it would be for a black woman in the 50s to become a television producer, but then this struggle isn't really shown. It would have been interesting to see a bit more of their lives outside of the romance. 

And then there's the fact that I just lost interest in the second half of the film. While I felt invested in their love in the beginning, I felt like the film lost its way a bit. And as a result, I realised that I never really 'got' who these characters were - and I didn't care that much.

Overall, this is a sweet film. It's not profound, and it won't change lives, but it's a nice way to spend an evening.

5.5/10