Rye Lane is one of those movies that makes you ask ‘where have you been all my life?’ Peckham, that’s where, writes Gemma West.
For those who’ve never ventured further outside of the central London than Piccadilly Circus, this movie is the most accurate representation of regular people living in regular London that has ever graced the big (and small) screen.
As someone from the outskirts of London (slightly more sheep than Shards), I felt relieved knowing that they were, in fact, a short bus ride from Tower Bridge, as opposed to the unrealistic five-minute journey to the Cotswolds typically depicted in blockbusters. Ever heard of The Holiday?
Rye Lane (2023), directed by Raine Allen-Miller, is a rom-com starring David Jonsson as Dom and Vivian Oparah as Yas. There are also a few familiar faces. Colin Firth shows up as a taco truck employee and Omari Douglas plays a raging queer karaoke bar owner. That tells you enough.
The protagonists, Yas and Dom, meet in the unisex bathroom of an art gallery showcasing mouth photography. After both dealing with tempestuous breakups, the last thing they want is to ever put faith in another person again. That being said, they end up spending the day together, unearthing truths and secrets about themselves whilst dealing with their exes along the way.
It is a quintessential rom-com. Yas and Dom’s encounter is so refreshing compared to all the highly exaggerated and artificial meet-cutes commonly portrayed in film.
As their opposing characteristics slowly morph into a friendship and then maybe something more, all you hope is that nothing goes wrong. Dom is shy, organised and reserved. Yas is eclectic, outgoing and full of confidence. It’s an oddly perfect match.
Life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows though, but thankfully the derailed train isn’t off the tracks for too long. This movie is charming, it’s groovy and all too human. It has funky camera angles and at times a fish eye lens to enhance the silliness of the scene. It’s abstract yet so real, like the director was looking through your window (in a non-perverted way) whilst writing the script.
Just like Dom’s pink converse, this film is “iconic”. If you ever need to feel good and don’t know where to go, head for Rye Lane.
