In Raine Allen-Miller’s directorial debut, Dom (David Jonsson) and Yas (Vivian Oparah) are both suffering after bad break ups. They meet and bond over the course of one day in South London.
It took a few minutes for me to get used to the style of the film making, but once I did, this was an utter joy. Oparah, in particular, is excellent and she has great chemistry with Jonsson. As well as being a love story between the pair, it is also a love letter to often overlooked parts of London, such as Peckham and Brixton, really capturing their energy.
At just 82 minutes, there is no fat to the story that is tied up in a typical romcom way without feeling cliched. As well as the lead couple, Karene Peter is good as Dom’s bitchy ex and there is a funny cameo from Colin Firth. A lot of comparisons have been made to Richard Linklater’s ‘Before’ movies, and it is obvious why, but I was also put in mind of a time in the mid 90’s that independent cinema flourished with fresh takes on love and relationships such as Walking and Talking, The Brothers McMullen and Love & Other Catastrophes. And that is great company to be in.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10