Rom-coms are generally not my favorite genre of movie. But it does take an exceptional, unique, and sometimes weird one to really win me over, and this was it. "Rye Lane" is one of the most refreshing, enjoyable, engaging, funny, and intelligent films of the year.

One of the biggest influences on this film is the Before Trilogy as "Rye Lane" uses the structure of two characters spending a day together just talking, exploring their lives and relationships. It's a formula that's easy to love but hard to get right as it all comes down to the script and the actors, but this movie nailed it in all departments. The dialogue was witty and smart. Plus the movie actually made me laugh frequently as the humor intertwined seamlessly with the characters' situations, never feeling forced or going for the cheap joke. It was a breath of fresh air to get comedy that actually felt natural for a change in this kind of movie. The main characters Dom and Yas were loveable and the two of them together elevated the movie as their chemistry was electric and fun. Both were played superbly by David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah. Also, the film's cinematography was really interesting. It constantly uses the fish eye lens and at first, I thought it was a bit gimmicky, but the way it was used added to the film's charm and actually made the movie and its world feel more alive.

For a directorial debut, Raine Allen-Miller has directed a truly special film that stands apart from other films in the genre. From its interesting location to memorable supporting characters and the fact that despite it only being 80 minutes, it felt like I went on a romantically fun journey that went for the right amount of time from start to finish. I can see myself coming back to this over and over and Allen-Miller has definitely become a director that I'm keen to see what she does next.