Sylvie’s Love premiered on 25th December 2020 on Amazon Prime Video. Written, directed, and produced by Eugene Ashe, the 114-minute-long film stars Tessa Thompson, Nnamdi Asomugha, Ryan Michelle Bathe, Regé-Jean Page, Aja Naomi King, and Eva Longoria alongside other cast members. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2020.
Sylvie and Robert
It’s one of those love stories that keep you wanting the best for the lead pair against all odds. Sylvie’s Love revolves around the lives of Sylvie Parker (Tessa Thompson) and Robert Halloway (Nnamdi Asomugha) who fall in love as Robert, a saxophone player, gets a job in Sylvie’s father’s store. But while things are all beautiful and consuming, fate has different plans: Sylvie is engaged and to be married to a high-society doctor Lacy (Alano Miller), who is currently serving in the war.
Things take a turn when Robert leaves for Paris for a big gig and they part their ways. When they happen to meet up again unexpectedly, five years later, their attraction is as strong as ever but the secrets and pain of their past still must be resolved. Sylvie is now a respected television producer running a cooking show, while Robert’s music career is still stalling. The sparks, however, are still alive. Will this beautiful love story ever bloom?
Eugene Ashe’s Sylvie’s Love has everything you would want in a romantic-drama film. Slow dancing on the street, stolen moments on the roof at night, cycling and park dates, and whatnot. The film is brewed to perfection and beautiful till it hits an unsatisfying end. The film softly speaks old Hollywood and then transports you to a love-filled land. The film feels time defiant, daring to exist with an unforgiving and old-fashioned quality, at a time when many frustratingly seem to ignore truthful romances and proud women’s pictures as trivial and out-of-date. It’s beautiful.
The film ends on a love-conquers-all note and it is no surprise but the ending here is feeble and you would want to wish for it to be better and well-defined like everything else here. But even the worst and most painful of situations here have a touch of comfort saying everything will be fine. The lesson in this is that both Robert and Sylvie made bad, self-sacrificing choices in the name of love and for the longest of times their mistakes are what kept them apart from each other.
The chemistry between Thompson and Asomugha is undeniably gorgeously and results in refined onscreen performances which are both engaging and heart-warming. Furthermore, the soundtrack in Sylvie’s Love has its own starring role: the film is about love for its most part, but it is also about dedication and love for music, and it captures the power of music to distinguish eras, invokes memories, enchants, and enamours.
Stream It or Skip It
STREAM IT! Sylvie’s Love is a beautiful story and refrains from carrying a stereotypical storyline overall. The film is watch-worthy and keeps you hooked till the very end. There are no expected turns in the film and just when you feel everything is alright, it really isn’t. It’s gorgeous.
Sylvie’s Love is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
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