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All That Was Very Wrong with “Really Love”
Really Love fell pretty flat. It was a try hard freshman narrative attempting to sit amongst the Senior-letterman-donning greats of Black Romance flicks like that of Love Jones.
The weekend after I watched it, I stood in a group of young, Black peers who all shared a general sigh, unimpressed by the tropes the movie cloaks in jazz and shots of the D.C. area.
There was lot wrong with Really Love — one dimensional characters, too poppy of a soundtrack, poor writing, stellar actors shoved into lackluster background roles, wanting acting, and sex scenes that were kind of uncomfortable to watch.
But the greatest sin of Really Love rests in its portrayal of young, Black people.
…Like two unthawed and underdeveloped love interests in a Sophomore theatre major’s final self-written play after reading Tennessee Williams all semester.
Isaiah (Kofi Siriboe) and Stevie (Yootha Wong-Loi- Sing) stand as these walking art peices. Their skin glistening in each shot to the point that the hues of their skin tones and the…