Tinder creates a multifaceted portrait of Black love

What is Black love? Dating platform Tinder sets out to answer that question through the eyes of ten individuals in a poetic, artful film. Working with production company m ss ng p eces and Director X (aka Julien Christian Lutz), Tinder asked the subjects about their experiences of “Black love” and how it has impacted their lives. Their responses were diverse, ranging from serious and thoughtful to whimsical: “Black love is a party. Rhythm and blues. It’s happiness and tears,” says one woman. “Black love is like the burnt crispies in the macaroni and cheese, the cornbread in the cast iron skillet with the Country Crock on top,” laughs another. “I love her eyes, I love her smile, I love the way she dances, her creativity,” reflects one man of his significant other. “What I love about my partner is the fact that she accepts me for me as a transgender man … makes me feel valid and very much seen and accepted,” says another of his. The scenes, shot like fashion portraits, assemble in a collage, and midway through the film the subjects’ voices begin to overlap and collide, so their words become indiscernible—perhaps illustrating that “Black love” ultimately defies definition. The film then closes with the final lines: “Black love is us. Black love is ours.” Tinder created the film in an effort to provide an “honest” and “authentic” depiction of Black love, the explained on its YouTube post. It debuted at an event in Los Angeles last week, where Tinder also invited the guests to have their pictures taken by celebrity photographer Erik Carter, to “plus up” their profiles on the app.

Tinder creates a multifaceted portrait of Black love

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