A movie should evoke emotions, thoughts, or feelings and “Really Love” made me cry, think, and smile all in 1 hour and 30 mins and for that I am extremely thankful. 

This movie, just released on Netflix, is a masterpiece that reflects beauty, diligence, complexities, and most importantly Black love. Behind the amazing aesthetics, music, and visuals of this movie, “Really Love” also explores Black beauty, positive Black relationships, the beauty in being passionate, the ability to be vulnerable and the reality of life. 

Director Angel Kristi Williams’ intentionality with the cast displayed a range of beauty, from the darker to lighter skin complexions, to the natural curly hair, to the hints of traditional African kente cloth, and ensured that different shades of the Black community could relate. This was refreshing since oftentimes, many darker-skinned women are overlooked for lead roles in mainstream movies. 

The film is centered around Howard University grad Stevie Richmond (Yootha Wong-Loi Sing), who is in the midst of a lucrative legal career and Isaiah (Kofi Siriboe), a talented and successful artist, as they balance maintaining their individual passions and their love for each other.As we know relationships aren’t perfect and oftentimes when it comes to the portrayal  of Black families, fatherhood, and relationships, it focuses on dysfunction and negativity.  But “Really Love” not only showcases the difficulty of communication and the complexities of understanding each other, but also the ability to always come back together. They show the difficulty in maintaining relationships while juggling a busy life that is constantly changing. The depiction of love in the movie is pure and soft, but most importantly it feels real. 

It is also important to note the amazing cinematography by Shawn Peters. His ability to capture such beautiful moments from the vintage feel of the movie, to the color scheme, to the shots of smiling and crying all deserve to be appreciated because when the actors/actresses weren’t talking, the imagery spoke for itself. Lastly, the score by Khari Mateen should be acknowledged because without music, a film can leave a gap between the film and the viewer. The music aligned perfectly every time a new song was played. It fit the feel of each scene and also evoked a more emotional connection for me as a viewer.

“Really Love” is the quintessential movie if you want to watch the reality of Black love, passionate young adults, the beauty in life, and the power in positivity.