On the surface this debut feature from Rachael Abigail Holder has the nonchalant charm of a classic romantic comedy. The three terrific leads generate plenty of sparks and humor, reminiscent of contemporary stalwarts like Love Jones, Hav Plenty, and Brown Sugar. The story, executive produced by Steven Soderbergh, centers around Roger (André Holland, Festival Tribute; Moonlight), a charming writer who flouts deadlines and avoids serious commitments. His attention is pulled between two alluring women: his complicated ex Casey (Nicole Beharie), a gallery owner fighting against gentrification and her fear of failure, and new love interest Nicole (DeWanda Wise), an aloof masseuse wrestling with loss and the challenge of being a single parent. Roger attracts and repels Casey and Nicole repeatedly, sometimes callously, as he struggles to come to terms with his evolving identity as he enters middle age. The heat and power crafted by the leads is the hook, but the real strength of Love, Brooklyn sits within Holder’s deft explorations of contemporary hookup culture, the proliferation of apathy in society, and the isolation hangover plaguing urban centers. The specificity of the borough of Brooklyn is vital to the complex world built around Roger, but Holder’s film is ultimately a tribute to Black life and an ode to the never-ending evolution of growing up.

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