Mark Reviews Movies: THE PHOTOGRAPH

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Review by Mark Dujsik | February 13, 2020

Director Stella Meghie's screenplay for The Photograph jumps right into its story with only the bare minimum of establishing its characters, its premise, or, for that matter, its purpose. It almost feels as if there's a reel of exposition missing, although the rest of the movie, which also skimps on characterization and proper setups and a distinct purpose, suggests that this feeling that something is absent from the narrative is just, well, an intrinsic part of the movie.

Meghie does have a central conceit, in that the movie tells two stories: one set in the present day and the other taking place about two decades prior. In the present day, a journalist and a museum curator get into a hasty romance in New York City (The only reason we know where this part of the story is set, since so much of it takes place in undefined interiors, is a passing reference to Queens and a shot of the two characters walking down a street, where the license plates give away more information than the script). In the past, the woman's mother, an aspiring photographer living in Louisiana, is in the midst of her own romances—one with a man of whom her mother disapprove and the other with her desire to become a renowned artist.

That is about the end of any development for any of these characters and the whole of this dual scenario. The rest of the movie seems to rely on the charisma of its present-day leads, who are, admittedly, charming. LaKeith Stanfield plays Michael, a reporter for an online publication who is waiting to hear about a job in London. For what might be his final story for his current outlet, Michael has gone down to Louisiana to cover the lingering effects of natural and manmade disasters on a specific region. His only source, apparently, is Isaac (Rob Morgan), a retired fisherman, and the two get to talking about love.

See, a younger Isaac (played by Y'lan Noel) was once deeply in love with Christina (Chanté Adams), the aspiring photographer. He still holds a long-simmering flame for her, in fact, despite his decades-long marriage to another woman (who has since died) and the fact that the two haven't spoken in over two decades. Christina left for New York, and after that, their relationship was finished.

For some unexplained reason, Michael decides to look into Christina, who died about a month ago. Her daughter Mae (Issa Rae), the museum curator, can't offer much information, since her mother primarily focused on her career. Michael is instantly smitten (He mentions that she's "interesting," partly because her mother died, and at least his brother, played by Lil Rel Howery, points out how weird that is), and eventually the pair go on a couple of dates—one while a hurricane approaches, getting them both in the mood.

There really isn't much more to be said about the story, which has Michael, who is quick to fall in love and afraid of commitment, going back and forth on the idea of trying to start a serious relationship with Mae, who takes quite a lot of time reading the final letter her mother wrote to her. The letter gives a reason to flash back to Christina's story, even though we heard the key parts—save for one utterly unsurprising detail that's treated as a significant shock—from Isaac.

One has to dig deep—to the point that it might feel like making something up—to uncover some meaning in this intergenerational tale of loves possible, unrequited, and unforgettable. There is some notable chemistry between Stanfield and Rae, although, for all of the characters' talk about getting to know each other, there really isn't much to get (Their first date is a fine scene, especially in how they discuss whether people are really themselves on a date or, on larger-picture scale, ever).

Michael falls hard for Mae, but he worries what a job across an ocean would do to a relationship. Mae is taken by Michael, but the entirety of her development has to do with her mother's past. Christina's story is a lengthy, mostly uneventful tale that exists for a twist, and as for the eponymous photograph of Christina, its significance is that it was taken and that two characters have a copy.

If we were to look for some meaning in The Photograph, it might have to do with notion that the possibilities of the present are either to be grabbed in the moment or to become the regrets of the future. It could be that, but considering how shallow all of the elements of this story are, it might as well be nothing.

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