I love the narrative trope of two people that meet for the first time and get to know each other mostly through open-hearted conversation. Hiroshima Mon Amour, the Before Trilogy, Columbus, the list goes on and on. So, when I was browsing the Disney+ catalogue I was excited to see that Rye Lane fit the description of those films. While I enjoyed it for the most part, I was left unsatisfied. What the aforementioned films have in common is characters that behave coherently, and are not rushed into unnecessary drama just for the sake of it. This seemingly simple narrative formula is not so simple to replicate after all.

During its first two thirds, Rye Lane is an enjoyable film. Although the script isn’t spectacular, replicating the narrative structure we’ve seen in films such as the Before trilogy and Hiroshima Mon Amour, it has its moments and David Jonson and Vivian Oparah have opportunities to shine.  

But what’s wrong with this cute film? Well, the third act is one of the most contrived and unrealistic I’ve seen in the past few years. Nathan Bryon and Tom Melia create unnecessary drama to the point of disrespecting almost everything about the lead characters. It’s like they’ve become two different people. Inducing fake dramatic quarrels just for the sake of creating a last minute conflict seems like a cheap decision, one that ultimately ruins the film. 

What I truly appreciated about Rye Lane are its style and cinematography. London is known to be a grey city, but Olan Collardy manages to add a bit of much-desired color to it, increasing the on-screen saturation. Some of the camera movements, particularly when using the fish-eye lenses, are a good stylish choice.