Southside with You
Description
The brilliant conceit of Richard Tanne’s directorial debut is to make a presidential biopic that takes place before the leader in question becomes President. In 1989, Barack (“Barry”) Obama is a summer associate at a Chicago law firm. On a lovely summer’s day, he invites his colleague Michelle Robinson to a community meeting. “It’s not a date,” she tells her amused and interested parents, but Barack sees things a bit differently with a full day planned, including an Afrocentric art exhibit and a walk through the park. Southside with You builds slowly and winningly as these two people get to know one another outside of the office. Barack is flirtatious and gregarious while Michelle is more tentative—after all, she has something to lose by being seen out in public with someone who is subordinate to her at work. But charm and chemistry win out, and Michelle slowly warms to this charismatic man who clearly has a thing for her. Writer/director Tanne takes a cue from Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy using conversation-based scenes that reveal character through dialogue and nuance. He is equally well-served in his casting decisions—Parker Sawyers not only looks remarkably like Obama but channels his speaking style and mannerisms while Tika Sumpter reveals Michelle’s quick intelligence, humor and impeccable style. And running through the whole film for the audience is the frisson that comes with not only knowing that these two people do marry just a couple of years later, but also that they will go on to change history. —Rod Armstrong
Richard Tanne was born and raised in Livingston, NJ, the son of a special-education teacher and a bankruptcy attorney. As a teenager, his writing led to him receiving the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Arts Education. He co-wrote and acted in the 2014 film Worst Friends before embarking on Southside with You. Speaking about the film he says, “There’s something special about the way the President and the First Lady look at each other … Looking at the first date was a way to explore how something like that begins.” He is currently writing a film for Pixar.
Film Details
Language English
Year 2016
Runtime 80
Country USA
Director Richard Tanne
Producer Robert Teitel, Tika Sumpter, Richard Tanne
Writer Richard Tanne
Editor Evan Schiff
Cinematographer Patrick Scola
Music Stephen James Taylor
Cast Tika Sumpter, Parker Sawyers, Vanessa Bell Calloway