Film

Southside with You

A 2016 romance about Barack and Michelle Obama's first date across Chicago's South Side in 1989. It's intimate and unhurried, less interested in destiny than in two people discovering each other. Gentle, earnest, deliberately small-scale—for those who enjoy character-driven period romance and don't need explosions or plot twists to stay engaged.

TMDb rating2.8

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you want a warm, talky romance built on two people sizing each other up over a long afternoon, with the city itself doing much of the heavy lifting.

Skip it if you need big set pieces or a fast plot, since this is a quiet, conversational film where the tension lives in glances and long walks.

What it asks of you: Eighty minutes, no rush: it lets conversations wander and sits with small pauses, so it rewards patience more than attention-hopping.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Moonlight2016

A luminous, intimate portrait of a Black man's life and identity across three decades. Like Southside, it finds profound grace in quietness and in the specificity of place. Deeply moving without ever raising its voice.

But Very slow and meditative. No plot in the conventional sense, just moments and memories. Some find that pacing isolating rather than reflective.

Moonlight poster

If Beale Street Could Talk2018

Barry Jenkins' adaptation captures tenderness between a young Black couple facing systemic injustice. The cinematography is ravishing, the romance genuine, the social context woven in without preaching. Unhurried and gorgeous.

But Structurally unconventional and emotionally heavy. The injustice at its core is designed not to comfort you. Some viewers find the pacing glacial.

If Beale Street Could Talk poster

Hidden Figures2016

A more upbeat ensemble drama about Black excellence and resilience in 1960s NASA. Celebrates real historical figures with warmth and humor. If you liked the specificity of period and place in Southside, this delivers that plus larger stakes.

But Smooths some historical edges for mainstream palatability. The drama can feel engineered rather than organic. Significantly longer than Southside.

Hidden Figures poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Southside with You

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Burning2018

Both films understand that attraction and human connection exist in glances, pauses, and the spaces between words. Both trust the audience to feel what's happening beneath the surface. Southside is intimate and warm where Burning is mysterious and cool—but they share a formal faith in understatement.

Lee Chang-dong's haunting South Korean novel adaptation about two men and a woman, class anxiety, and what remains unsaid. Visually stunning, psychologically intricate, absolutely gripping despite minimal plot. A masterclass in what cinema can do with subtext.

But Deliberately ambiguous and withholding. Three hours long. The narrative refuses to resolve. Requires active interpretation and patience. Cold rather than warm.

Burning poster
More like this (7)

Queen & Slim2019

A modern romance on the run, steeped in Black culture and beauty. The chemistry between leads is electric. It captures intimacy and identity the way Southside does, but with higher stakes and contemporary urgency.

But Very political and formally experimental; the ending is deliberately ambiguous and sobering. Not a date movie in the way the marketing suggested.

Queen & Slim poster

Selma2014

A historical drama about Martin Luther King Jr. and the Selma marches. Anchored by strong performances and a clear moral vision. Similar period-piece approach to understanding Black American history through human moments.

But Can feel like a checklist of historical events rather than a fully alive narrative. The dialogue occasionally prioritizes exposition over naturalism.

Selma poster

The Best Man1999

A sharply written ensemble romantic comedy about friendship and ambition among successful Black professionals. Witty, warm, and genuinely funny. Celebrates Black life and culture with specificity and joy.

But The plotting is occasionally sitcom-broad. Some jokes land harder than others. It's lighter in tone than Southside, which may feel like a tonal shift.

The Best Man poster

A Patch of Fog2015

A meditative character study about a man processing grief and connection. Very quiet, very focused on internal experience. Rewards patient viewers who appreciate observation over incident.

But Extremely slow and introspective to the point of inertia. Some will find it wearying rather than contemplative. Very limited narrative.

A Patch of Fog poster

Mudbound2017

A family drama spanning decades in the Mississippi Delta, tracing race, class, and connection. Beautifully shot, morally serious, grounded in place and time. Similar commitment to specificity of setting and era.

But Heavy with racial trauma and violence. Long and structurally complex. The tone shifts between registers, which some find disorienting rather than enriching.

Mudbound poster

The Farewell2019

A warm, funny drama about family and cultural identity. Lulu Wang's film finds comedy and humanity in specificity. Strong character work and genuine feeling for the rhythms of family life.

But The tonal mix of comedy and pathos won't work for everyone. Requires comfort with cultural contexts that aren't spelled out. Shorter runtime but higher energy than Southside.

The Farewell poster

Daughters of the Dust1991

Both films are deeply rooted in specific Black American geography and history, and both understand that a film can be a portrait of a moment rather than a plot-driven narrative. Daughters goes further formally into abstraction and poetry where Southside remains grounded in realism—but they share a commitment to rendering interiority and place as the true subject.

Julie Dash's extraordinary, formally inventive film about a Gullah family in the early 20th century on the eve of migration north. A visual poem about history, identity, and the female gaze. Pioneering Black cinema that rewards close attention. Genuinely unlike anything else.

But Experimental and non-linear. Dialogue is poetic and sometimes cryptic. Cinematography is deliberately painterly, which some find beautiful and others find static. Requires patience with unconventional storytelling.

Daughters of the Dust poster

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