Can anything good come out of Chicago? It isn’t an accident that when people talk about gun violence, which is a serious issue, they are more comfortable talking about Chicago than discussing mass shooters who are described as mentally ill. Dog whistles, anyone? Southside with You is not only a love story, but it is a love letter to Chicago, specifically black Chicago, black culture, black love and the Obamas. Southside with You is a radical film for being understated, normal and quotidian unlike other films that recently were set in Chicago *ahem* Spike Lee’s Chi-Raq.
Southside with You is about the first social outing between a young lawyer and a summer intern as they struggle to define themselves, their relationship and future success in the context of their career, their family history and the white (male) gaze. That lawyer happens to be Michelle Obama, and that summer intern happens to be Barack Obama, which imbues Southside with You with a certain amount of poignancy and nostalgia. The two don’t know what is ahead, especially the fact that they will become a couple, and Southside with You paints them as ordinary people unaware of their extraordinary future.
Southside with You is a departure from most film love stories. There isn’t a screwball comedy element such as a bet or hilarious sidekicks vying for the camera’s attention. There are no grand sweeping gestures, and no one gets engaged after a ridiculously short amount of time together. While the main actors are definitely beautiful people, they are not household names. Southside with You is a depiction of the beginning of real love as opposed to the fantasy of romance.
Southside with You is about two people trying to reveal who they are to the other person and navigate the barriers between them and within themselves. She gives him a realistic image of forgiveness and the ability to move on from past hurt. He gives her perspective and renewed purpose, the freedom to be herself, not one person at home and another person at work. The lesson of Southside with You is that the best couples make the significant other more of who they already are.
Southside with You explains to viewers that you can be happy or live the expected life on autopilot. Southside with You perfectly captures the era, specifically the summer of 1989, with its soundtrack. Some viewers found Southside with You’s elemental approach to the famous couple disappointing, but I did not regret paying full price for my ticket to the theater. If you are looking for a grand, historical epic, don’t bother, but if you are looking for a simple story about two people in the vein of Richard Linklater, then Southside with You is must see viewing.