The coronavirus pandemic stole loads of fun from our everyday lives, especially for couples. The merry summer beaches, the exciting park walks, or the romantic cinema evenings are fast becoming distant 2019 memories. Painful right?
No doubt, being stuck with your other half all day can get even the most bubbling relationships dehydrated of fun. But the good news is that this is not 1645! At least we still have TVs or gadgets to enjoy some amazing movies.
Let the cinemas rest a bit. There are fantastic black romance movies that you can watch with your partner right at home that could transform that dreary Valentine's Day evening into a love-steaming night.
Here are five black romance movies to juice up your relationship this Valentine's day weekend.
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Beyond the Lights (2014)
If you have not heard about Beyond the Lights, then there is valid cause to doubt your Blackness. This is undoubtedly one of the most exciting Black American romantic drama films Hollywood can boast of.
Written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, this movie stars Minnie Driver, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Danny Glover, and celebrated rapper Machine Gun Kelly.
The story?
Gugu Mbatha-Raw, starring as a successful singer, Noni, has her musical career bearing down on her, with a financially crazed mother and label chopping a massive chunk of her happiness and originality.
Pressed to the edge, Noni attempts suicide only to be saved by the handsome and daring Kaz played by Nate Parker. The story further unfolds with Kaz helping Noni to rediscover her inner strength and originality.
Noni finally gets the courage to break free from an abusive relationship, and eventually ditching the label – making well of firing her mother manager – and eventually dishing her original self to the world, with her uniqueness restored to her voice and music.
The Photograph (2020)
How much can just one photo do? Stella Meghie (the writer and director) answers this with an epic Black American romantic drama film featuring the likes of Issa Rae and Lakeith Stanfield.
In this movie, Issa Rae (playing Mae) gets in touch with reporter Michael (played by Lakeith Stanfield) as he works to uncover details about Mae’s late mother.
As fate – oops, Stella Meghie - would have it, Michael is love-smitten by Mae, who works as a curator in the museum whose archives Michael is investigating.
A hesitant Mae steadily grows in love with Michael, but with a deepening urge to reckon with her mum’s past. The movie masterfully connects flashbacks to romantic escapades between Isaac, a country fisherman, and Christina, Mae’s mother.
This movie is delectably loaded with intricacies that keep unfolding, dragging you enthusiastically into the next scene as you and your partner learn the dynamics of enduring love.
Queen & Slim (2019)
Question, what would the world be without Tinder? For me, a bland world where lovers hook up on LinkedIn! Haha.
Jodie Turner-Smith Queen (playing Queen) and Daniel Kaluuya (playing Slim) come together in a romantic masterpiece with loads of thrillers leading from an eventful Tinder date in Ohio.
A perfect reflection of the systematic disparities Blacks face in America, a white police officer zealously searches Slim and the truck he is driving. Short of time on a cold evening, Slim appeals for the officer to hurry, which provokes the officer into pulling his gun on Slim.
An altercation ensues that leads to the officer shooting Queen in the leg. Slim courageously tackles the officer and, in the ensuing scuffle, shooting the officer dead.
What follows is a dramatic road crime adventure with Slim and Queen on the run to avoid getting jailed.
Lovers Rock (2020)
Lovers Rock is another Black Romance movie that would stimulate the affection between you and your partner. Directed by Steve McQueen, this movie is a fascinating throwback to the civilization of the 1980s.
The story centers on Martha (played by Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn and Franklyn (played by Micheal Ward) with the setting in Ladbroke Grove, west London.
On a jolly London evening, Martha, who thinks she is just sneaking out of her window for a ‘blues night’ reggae party, finds out she is sneaking into a new romantic universe with the magnetic Jamaican Franklyn.
A carefree adventure ensues till dawn, summing up a thrill-laden night interspersed with romantic sparks, sexual escapades, family rejections, violent agitations, and queer thrills.
About Last Night (2014)
What better way to end the list than with About Last Night? This movie – a remake of 1986’s About Last Night – deliciously kneads together the right rations of romance, comedy, and thrill.
Come on, you were not expecting less from a movie with a titillating cast of Kevin Hart, Joy Bryant, Regina Hall, and the strikingly handsome Michael Ealy, were you?
The plot follows Bernie (played here by Kevin Hart) and Danny (played by Michael Ealy), who both are single men with a bulk of their sexual lives spent on the fast lane.
Such recklessness was set for an exciting end one night at a bar when Bernie meets Joan.
The love flame is ignited, and both hit off dating. An intended one-night stand blossoms into a love-rich adventure when Bernie introduces his buddy Danny to Debbie, who happens to be Joan’s roommate.
The movie transits from the merry days of their early relationship to the ugly breakups and ultimately rekindling their affection.
There you go, these are some exciting Black Romance movies to emotionally rejuvenate your relationship while holed up with your partner in this pandemic. Trust me, few films can school Black couples better on the “mathematics” of love.
Bon appétit!
