RYE LANE

Made by first time director Raine Allen-Miller, Rye Lane is, for the most part, set over the course of one day, and follows Yas (Vivian Oparah) and  Dom (David Jonsson) - both, in their own way, dealing with recent breakups - from their initial meeting in a toilet, at a mutual friends art exhibition, across London, as the two bond, and get to know each other further.

I’ll be honest and say that, for the first 15 minutes or so, I couldn’t get a grasp on the kind of film it wanted to be. it didn’t work for me.

And then it did. It really did.

From the moment Dom attends a meeting with his ex-girlfriend, his ex-best mate (and ex-girlfriends new BF) and Yas in a South London Brazilian Restaurant - a scene reminiscent of the 2015’s brilliant Man Up) I was hooked.

It is a scene that, if it had not already, makes everything click. You suddenly understand the characters that little bit more, and - importantly for me - the tone of the film that little bit more. It was a scene that allowed me to stop trying to work out what it was trying to be, and start enjoying it just for what it was.

As Oparah and Jonsson are in almost every scene together, Rye Lane was always going to live or die on their chemistry, and thankfully it is electric. They are entirely believable and utterly authentic, as a pair of new (maybe-more-than) friends. Not an ounce of their performance or their characters feeling contrived.

The work that both do, as well as the director, and screenwriters Nathan Bryon and To Melia, ensure that the characters do not feel written. They barely feel like characters at all, but real people. People that any one of us might encounter during our day to day lives, and this is rare in film. Especially in romantic comedies, which all too often rely on overused and implausible tropes, thus creating overused and implausible characters, and ultimately stale, predictable films.

Rye Lane feels fresh and new, which is no mean feat in an overly saturated market.

The fact that this is Allen-Millers directorial debut makes the film even more impressive. Her direction is naturalistic, but assured. As well as having a clear vision for what the film was, the performances she manages to get from her actors shows a level of trust and understanding between everyone involved.

It makes me really excited to see what she makes next.

Outside of the main two there are some strong supporting performances throughout. This is especially true of Benjamin Sarpong-Broni (Yas’ douchebag ex Eric) and Alice Hewkin (his pretentious new girlfriend Tabby). The two are only really in the film for one scene, but they manage to get some of the films biggest laughs, and serve as a calling card for both of their future careers.

With Rye Lane, Raine Allen-Miller has done for rom-coms what Richard Curtis did in the 90’s, and reinvented it for a new audience. Her natural direction will undoubtedly serve as an inspiration for future British directors

Rye Lane is the kind of film that makes you want to rush out and tell everyone you know to buy a ticket. It is a modern classic, and a new benchmark for British Rom-Coms. It is charming and laugh out loud funny and, most importantly, gives you two lead characters that you want to spend time with well after the 82 minute run time has ended.

And after watching it, I will never not wave at a boat again.