If you thought modern romance in New York was hard, wait until you see Love, Brooklyn, a sharp, soulful indie that blends the heat of entangled relationships with the chill of rapid neighborhood change. The official trailer for the Sundance-premiering drama just landed, teasing a textured, character-driven portrait of Black love, artistic ambition, and the heartbeat of a city in flux.
Directed by Rachael Abigail Holder (I Love Bekka & Lucy) and written by Paul Zimmerman, Love, Brooklyn stars the ever-commanding André Holland (Moonlight, High Flying Bird) as a writer caught between his past and his present. On one side, there’s his ex, an art gallery owner played by the always-regal Nicole Beharie (The Morning Show). On the other, DeWanda Wise (She’s Gotta Have It) steps in as his current partner, a newly single mother whose emotional world is still taking shape. Anchoring the emotional core is Roy Wood Jr. (The Daily Show), Holland’s best friend and voice of reason, delivering some necessary levity with philosophical edge.
A Brooklyn Love Story That’s More Than Just Romance
This isn’t your typical love triangle. It’s a love quadrilateral, maybe even a love pentagon, with Brooklyn itself as a moody fifth character. The borough’s shifting skyline, brownstone stoops, corner bodegas, and encroaching high-rises act as both setting and metaphor. Like the relationships on screen, Brooklyn is in transition, yearning to hold onto what’s real while constantly being asked to evolve.
The trailer, laced with dusky jazz and subtle neo-soul, gives us vignettes of lingering stares, late-night walks, and heated apartment arguments. The cinematography balances grit and glow, think Barry Jenkins meets Spike Lee, with a lens that clearly adores Black skin, city textures, and intimate gestures.
An Indie Powerhouse Team Behind the Camera
The film is backed by an impressive lineup of producers and executive producers, including Steven Soderbergh who continues his streak of championing bold, underrepresented voices in American cinema. André Holland also steps into a producing role, further deepening his commitment to complex Black storytelling.
Joining the central cast are Cassandra Freeman (Bel-Air) and newcomer Cadence Reese, adding even more emotional depth to an already loaded ensemble. With a tight 97-minute run time, Love, Brooklyn promises a compact but potent emotional journey, free from bloat and full of lived-in authenticity.
Angelika Premiere and Nationwide Rollout
True to its indie spirit, Love, Brooklyn will open exclusively at New York’s Angelika Film Center on August 29, before expanding to theaters nationwide on September 5. It’s the kind of small movie with a big heartbeat, a rare cinematic gem that speaks to the urgency of now while tipping its hat to the timelessness of complicated love.
If Before Sunrise and In the Mood for Love had a child that grew up in Bed-Stuy, it might look something like this. Introspective, culturally rooted, and emotionally precise, Love, Brooklyn is already shaping up to be one of the fall’s most quietly explosive films.
Whether you’re in it for the romance, the representation, or the irresistible texture of Brooklyn streets at golden hour, this one demands your ticket and your heart.
