Gina Prince-Bythewood’s Love & Basketball is a stellar blending of romantic drama and sports film, woven together into a narrative that is handled with such honesty and authenticity that it serves as an exemplary model of both genres. Where lesser films would settle for one dimensional antagonists and a lack of nuance, it’s refreshing to see each character – from our main love interests to the supporting players – given so much depth and humanity. While it never condones the actions and choices made by individuals who hurt our main characters, everyone is still human and we’re allowed understand their complicated motivations and see the ways in which we can want the best for another person, even as we cause them tremendous pain. It’s choices like this – and choices like making sure that both of our leads are given full, rich, and rewarding character arcs – that make this such a warm and tremendously generous film. The sports sequences are shot with a kinetic energy that keeps us fully engaged, and the one-on-one games between our leads are just as sensual as the film’s love scenes. It’s a deeply feminist film, exploring at every turn the double standards and obstacles faced by women in athletics, and it’s a film that is firmly rooted in Black identity. This is a fantastic, deeply romantic film.