Rye Lane

In a cinematic landscape awash with sub-franchises, shared universes and a seemingly considered tactic to make film runtimes longer, a sub-90 minute, entirely original, London-set romantic comedy might just be the film of the year so far.

First time Director Raine Allen-Miller’s Rye Lane is a wildly enjoyable, laugh-out-loud and stylistically invigorating film in a genre that has quietly been shoved aside in recent times (remember the days when a Richard Curtis film would be the talk of the multiplex?)

Keeping the classic rom-com tropes but injecting them with a completely fresh visual style which lovingly pays tribute to our capital city this film will leave you beaming.

If anything, its brevity is a shame because you’ll want to spend more time with lead pair Dom and Yas (David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah respectively) but the idea to base most of the film across one day after the initial ‘meet-cute’ is a brilliant tactic and their chemistry and fledgling relationship is entirely earned.

Future mention of pink Converse, A Tribe Called Quest, London boat tours, food markets and a certain A-list celebrity who cameos here will all now bring this film to mind.

Fresh, funny and an utter delight.

5 stars *****