Film & TV

Love, Brooklyn

BFI LFF 2025: Romcom in one of New York's most beloved boroughs

Moyin Olojede

17 Oct 2025 — 2 min read

Love, Brookyln explores the dynamics of love against the backdrop of an evolving Brooklyn, New York. The film focuses on a love triangle between three characters: Roger, a writer disillusioned by the changing city around him who feels less and less connected to his home, Casey, Roger’s ex, a lonely art gallery owner whose gallery is under the threat of gentrification, and finally Nicole, a widower and single mother who (rightfully) clings to the past and sees Roger as an escape. Neither relationship is clearly defined as Roger constantly goes back and forth between Casey and Nicole. Should Roger remain in the past in an easy, comfortable relationship with Casey, or move forward into something unknown with Nicole? This conflict parallels his view on Brooklyn: should he linger in how the city was before or should he embrace its evolution? Despite love triangles being a tried and tested trope, this film approaches it from a less dramatic and catastrophic angle than other romance stories. It truly feels like three people navigating very real relationships amidst grief, loss, and change.

As a lover of romcoms who misses the 90s-2000s era, I’ve been waiting for a film that feels as warm and comforting as this. There were many scenes that felt very playful and realistic with natural-feeling dialogue. The soundtrack leans into an R&B, soulful vibe reminiscent of films like Brown Sugar or Love Jones, yet it doesn’t overpower the natural sounds of Brooklyn like the bike Roger so often rides or the kids playing in the park. The soundscape centers you in the city director Rachel Abigail Holder loves so much, and her love for the city shines through in the city setting as well. The film keeps both the ugly and the beautiful: the park with overflowing dumpsters, canopied streets adorned with constructive markings – every scene feels like Brooklyn.

When you love you act with such permanence – as if the subject of your love will be there forever. As the film explores, it’s not. People die, cities change, and we grow. The film beautifully acknowledges the process of coping with these changes. One quote from the film really stuck with me: “When you can’t take the things you love the most, you take the memories.” Despite the attachment you may feel, you just have to keep moving forward, holding on to both the perfect and the imperfect. This is the struggle that shapes the core message of the film.

However, there seems to be a disconnect between writer Paul Zimmerman’s script and Holder’s directive vision. At times, I felt as though the plot seemed to drag and the script was a bit too empty at times. Roger was the main character, but Casey and Nicole had such interesting subplots that I wish the script could’ve explored further. Instead, the analysis never went deeper than surface-level. Despite this, the actors really made a lot out of the limiting script, each performance holding a form of real maturity and vulnerability rarely found in romcoms. Each sparse moment felt laced with emotion.

While lacklustre in some areas, the cast and director still create a film that feels comforting, easy, and fun and is truly for any nostalgic romcom lover!