A film that divides its time between a romance in the past and one in the present, the former effectively giving rise to the latter.

Christina Eames, a famous New York photographer, has recently died. Michael Brock, who is preparing an article on her, visits Isaac Jefferson in Louisiana, a friend of Christina when she was younger. He is the subject of 'The Photograph' that gives this film its title. Meanwhile, Christina's daughter, Mae, is seen opening a safe deposit box in which she finds two envelopes, one a letter to her from her mother, the other to her father. The instructions are that she must read her letter first, for reasons that will become obvious.

Michael Brock's research leads him to meet Mae, who is an assistant curator at the Queens Museum, and the two soon start to show signs of attraction to one another. And as the film periodically goes back to her mother's past, we see the other love story, but one that was abruptly cut short. Mae's relationship with her mother wasn't good, but as the story unfolds, and her mother's story is revealed, she begins to understand why her mother was as she was. And her mother's letter will reveal that she had held a secret throughout her life, a secret that will change Mae's life forever.

So we get two love stories for the price of one, impressive cinematography and a jazzy score. And Michael's brother, Kyle, is quite a laugh. The reviews haven't been overwhelmingly great but don't let that put you off.

Roger Ebert review
IMDb
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics 73%: Audiences 81%

Genre: Romance