Will “Rye Lane,” as a British rom-com, offer anything different than the classics starting from Notting Hill (1999) to Love, Rosie (2014) were able to deliver? The film, directed by Raine Allen-Miller, uses the same old grand gestures and the happy ending but shows us how love can magically blossom on the streets of London, whether it is Peckham, Brixton, or the South Bank. As Dom hides in a unisex restroom and cries about his breakup from three months ago, Yas accidentally listens to him crying. Yas, on the other hand, is also processing her breakup, which is still fresh, but she never says that she is upset about it.
Amidst the pacification of these two characters, “Rye Lane” shows us the rhythmic and vibrant lanes of London filled with color. There is the hope of a new beginning, but the breakups are unending, like the days in the movie that never end. Neither can accept that there is more to life, and therefore, one feels the need to be real. Dom is real, smart, systematic, and a successful accountant. Yas is a designer who wants to make it big but fears failing. When both of them meet by chance, they tend to become comfortable with each other, and their chemistry is wonderful to note.
Spoilers Ahead
Is Yas Speaking The Truth About Herself And Her Breakup?
When Dom and Yas meet at the photography exhibition Nathan Armstrong has organized to display his work on ‘Mouth,’ they instantly become friends. Since Dom is going through a breakup, he doesn’t want to try anything new. But because Nathan repeatedly tells him to show some support, he purchases the photographs, thinking of the future: that when Nathan succeeds and becomes a famous artist, Dom will sell them again for a higher price. Nevertheless, Dom and Yas walk down the lane and discuss their lives, share their dreams, and quickly grow fond of each other. While Dom’s friends are footballers, YouTube sensations, and owners of private jets, he is just a humble yet affluent accountant. Yas wanted to be a Purple Rain Prince, but she is a designer who wants to design for TV, films, ball gowns, etc. But dreams don’t matter to them because they cannot pay their rent in the first place, and that keeps them far from achieving their dreams or even pursuing them.
They were strangers who had just met, but that gave them the liberty to share without any reservation whatsoever was happening with their lives. Dom shared everything about his breakup and how he is now mustering the energy to overcome it. Because he had been in a relationship with Gia for six years, after their recent breakup, it became difficult for him to move on. It was worse because Gia broke up with Dom as she fell for his best friend, Eric. Gia, therefore, invited Dom to a meetup to clear the air and make peace. Yas also shares about her breakup but makes up most of it. She says that she dumped Jules, but in reality, it was Jules who had broken up with her.
We like to hear pleasant things about us, and especially when a stranger says something sweet to us, we feel wonderful. Dom had said that Yas was refreshingly charming and iconic, and therefore, Yas didn’t want to share her sad story and shatter the image Dom had of her. Yas feared losing Dom after having lost Jules and probably hadn’t gotten over her breakup. As we grow, we change because of the experiences we have had and therefore make new friends at different stages of our lives. We start liking and enjoying the company of different people. But that doesn’t mean we forget our old friends, we do not, we still get back to them, and our conversation picks up right where we left off. Perhaps Dom and Yas were yet to discover this fact of life. Nevertheless, they were making efforts. Dom was slowly but steadily realizing that he had so much more to learn and experience in this ongoing friendship with Yas. Yas, though reluctant to share about her relationship, was open to sharing about her creative self and her future dreams.
Why Do Yas And Dom Break Into Jules’s House?
Yas had clearly not forgotten her ex-boyfriend Jules. The memories of the time spent with Jules were still fresh in her mind and therefore, she shares about Jules with Dom. She explains to Dom how she accompanied Jules to poetry nights and new openings. She also explains how Jules is a self-proclaimed artist. And then she regrets having left a copy of ‘The Low End Theory,’ a studio album by A Tribe Called Quest that has sentimental value for her. Dom wants to show a gesture of concern and care for Yas, so he insists that she buy another copy of the album. But Yas, wanting to visit Jules, insists on retrieving her copy, which was left at Jules’ place.
Therefore, both of them get the spare key to the house from Mona and enter the house in search of the album. But the past memories come back to Yas, and she starts to check the area for changes. She notices how Jules has adjusted to the habits of Tabby, his new girlfriend. She gets upset that Jules has moved on and forgotten about her. Dom and Yas get caught as Jules and Tabby enter the house, and they have a quarrel. Nevertheless, in the dispute, Dom gets to know that it was not Yas who had dumped Jules but vice versa. So the real truth is spilt, and thus, both of them leave the house with the album. But Dom gets upset that Yas didn’t reveal the truth about their relationship, and they split.
Will Yas And Dom Grow Closer After Reconciling Their Past Relationships?
Yas and Dom have spent a lot of time together, and though they were strangers at first, they now know each other well and are aware of the real events that happened in their lives and there is nothing to hide at the end. They might have split after the argument they had when they left Jules’ house, but all the time they were engaged in their different tasks, they were thinking about each other. Not just that, they were sharing with their colleagues about the fantastic time they had with each other.
It is never possible to forget past relationships, as they keep haunting us again and again, especially when they end badly. The thought of the person immediately takes us back to the umpteen memories we have had together, and we wish that things shouldn’t have turned out as they have. So, Dom and Yas will definitely remember their exes, but since they have accompanied each other for quite some time, they will be able to move past those memories and will be able to create newer memories together.
Thus, you notice Yas making the grand gesture by going onto a boat and making a phone call to Dom, who is attending another exhibition by Nathan. She requests Dom to look through the window and wave at the boat passing by. At the end of “Rye Lane,” Dom waves at her and runs to meet her, calling her iconic yet again. The film reminds us that love is possible again and again, but only if we reconcile with our past and give life and love another chance.
