In the genre of romantic dramas, this film takes you along the chance encounter of Natasha Kingsley and Daniel Bae. Their two worlds collide in the bustling city of New York and immediate chemistry ensues. Natasha, a realist whose family is going to be deported to Jamaica the next day, and Daniel, a dreamer bound for college, have seemingly two different fates. Will circumstances keep them apart or are the forces of love strong enough to hold them together? Directed by Ry Russo-Young and released in 2019, this movie uncovers the hardships of immigration, love, and loss.
Yara Shahidi remarkably plays the role of Natasha Kingsley. Her love interest, Daniel Bae, is acted out by Charles Melton. Miriam A. Hyman assumes the role of Patricia Kingsley, Natasha’s mother, while Gbenga Akinnagbe acts as Samuel Kingsley, the father. Keong Sim portrays the character of Dae Hyun Bae, Daniel’s father, and Cathy Shim acts as Min Soo Bae, the mother.
The movie was filmed in New York:
- When Daniel first sees Natasha staring at the constellation ceiling, this was filmed at Grand Central Station.
- The shot with Daniel and Natasha talking on the bench at a skatepark was filmed at the LES Coleman Skatepark, located underneath the Manhattan Bridge.
- The café scene between Natasha and Daniel was shot at Caffe Reggio, which is located in Greenwich Village.
- The planetarium date was filmed in the American Museum of Natural History.
Some interesting facts:
- This movie is actually based on the 2016 book by author, Nicola Yoon.
- Yara Shahidi was the director’s first choice to play Natasha.
- This film has some similarities with Serendipity (2001). For example, Caffe Reggio was used as one of the ending shots in both movies.