It’s the early 1960s, and an elegant Black woman in a floor-length teal gown, portrayed by Tessa Thompson, is waiting impatiently outside a New York City theater. As a Black usher tells her the show is about to start, she spots Robert—her old lover turned successful saxophonist, played by Nnamdi Asomugha—walking down the street. And so Sylvie’s Love, the second effort from writer-director Eugene Ashe, begins.

Sylvie’s Love, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival back in January and begins streaming on Amazon Prime Video on December 23 (ESSENCE STUDIOS is a proud partner of the Sylvie’s Love), focuses on our humanity rather than on our struggles.