It is a truth universally acknowledged that we, as a society, have suffered from a dearth of good romantic comedies – possibly symptomatic of our cynical age but also a genre that’s, potentially, a salve for it. We were rom-com-less for years before a somewhat renaissance unfortunately consisting mainly of streaming slop: the genre (and us) deserves better. Cue Finding Emily:  charming and heartwarming, it brings back what we once loved and mixes it up with something fresh.

Working his job at Manchester City Uni’s Student Union club one night, Owen (Spike Fearn) meets Emily, a student who he immediately connects with. When she is rushed off to a birthday party by her friends, she leaves Owen her number but when he goes to call the next day, he discovers a digit is missing. Lovesick, he embarks on a mission to find her. In his initial misguided attempt to track her down he meets Emily Rain (Angourie Rice), a psychology student writing her dissertation on how love makes people self-destructive but lacking the case study to prove her hypothesis. She decides to help Owen (without revealing her dissertation), and their mismatched motives lead to an escalating situation in the attempt to track down the mysterious Emily.

This is a feelgood, decidedly British romcom in the vein of yesteryear but with a distinctly modern feel that takes it in new directions. Director Alicia MacDonald and writer Rachel Hirons give way to some of the traditional tropes (no prizes for guessing who ends up with who) but make the most of the film’s unique concept and opposing beliefs of its central pairing. Rice’s Emily allows the film to critique itself by showing Owen’s actions through her cynical eyes, something that creates a fun push-pull dynamic between them. Many a romcom lead has exhibited behaviour that the film treats as swoon-worthy but in reality would be concerning. Finding Emily takes that reality into the film to both great comedic and dramatic effect and in a way that gently creates a commentary on the culture wars that are constantly raging around us. After his initial ideas don’t pan out, Emily R shares the emails of every Emily at the uni with Owen and he sends out a mass email, failing to Bcc and instead creates a chatroom of Emilies, some of whom form a kind of army against him. A campus-wide debate rages on whether he is a creepy harasser or romantic Romeo, with Owen’s profile now raised to that of local celebrity. It is clever and pushes the story into some lesser-tread territory, leaving room for surprises.

As with any romantic-comedy, the film hinges on the performances of its leads and Fearn and Rice prove themselves up to the task. Fearn makes Owen loveable, keeping you onside even as his methodology proves problematic within the film. Rice imbues Emily R with life, skilfully portraying the battle between her intellect and emotions. Both bring plenty of charm and play off each other well. The film is filled out by a brilliant ensemble; the world feels fully lived in and everyone feels distinct. It is a great showcase for lesser known British talent.

The comedy is strong with both the wild situations the characters end up in and some smart dialogue eliciting plenty of laughs. The romance is also there, although the film feels slightly weighted towards Emily R in terms of the development of the central pairing’s relationship and could perhaps have done with a few more moments of Owen’s side to really make you feel it. Despite the novel journey we take to get there, the film ultimately ends up slap bang in the middle of formula with an additional on-the-nose homage to one of the greats, but you can’t begrudge it that. A good romcom doesn’t have to subvert everything (or indeed very much), but Finding Emily brings a fresh perspective that feels close to an oasis in the streaming slop desert.

Finding Emily also offers one of the best depictions of Gen Z so far in cinema. It isn’t condescending or internet slang-heavy and the characters are treated like real people. It deals with Gen Z issues but also has a timeless feel that will let it endure (even its great soundtrack is a mix of oldies and recent hits). The film also features one of the best representations of emails/text/online messages I’ve seen, portraying them in a creative and fun way not a distracting and reductive one that the usual clumsy text-on-screen sometimes comes off as. It is also distinctly British in a way that feels authentic, not a glossy version created purely for international audiences. It is a great advert for Manchester.

Bringing the romcom back from the brink, Finding Emily feels like it will have a good rewatchability factor (essential to the romcom), bringing us engaging characters, a clever concept and a feelgood journey. Let’s hope there is more to come.