Finding Emily

The British rom-com might well be back with Finding Emily.

Three years ago, Rye Lane was a breath of fresh air in a genre that hadn’t been seen in a minute and Alicia MacDonald’s film rises to meet it.

A properly likeable, winning, charming, funny and romantic modern movie which already feels like a classic, whilst also sitting squarely in the here and now.

A postcard version of Manchester, a meticulously curated soundtrack of local music, a predictable but rollicking story and winning leads all add up to a heady cocktail.

As our star-crossed pair Owen and Emily slowly get closer over Owen’s fruitless search for another girl he met on a night out, she uses him as a test case in her Psychology dissertation on why love is antiquated.

Of course, they’re destined to fall for each other but you swoon along with every cliche as it explores the trials and tribulations of university relationships.

Points as well for some minor, but no less welcome, attention to detail.

Silly as it sounds, spotting that Owen is actually on the phone when on a call and a split second shot showing a character putting a bike in the back of a car, when you briefly question how they got somewhere, are signs that the team behind this film paid attention and care about what they’re showing on screen.

It’s a labour of love in form and story and, hopefully, soon to be a modern classic of the genre.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️