More Than Friends? Friend Zone Explores the Thin Line Between Platonic and Romantic Love

What Luda say? “Sometimes I wanna be your lover, sometimes I wanna be your friend.”

Have you ever been in a relationship where the lines have been blurred more than once? Where platonic love and romantic love seem to be swimming in waters of uncertainty or simply a case of the heart wanting what it wants?

Have you ever been in the friend zone or placed someone there yourself? Is the friend zone a permanent spot, or can one redeem themselves with persistence and love? Do you expect someone to just know that you’re interested in more than friendship, or does revealing your true feelings risk losing that person forever?

All those questions can make you sit back and think, "has the man or woman for me always been right here all along?"

In the new movie Friend Zone, streaming now on ALLBLK Network, starring Nzinga Imani and Angelo Diaz, written and directed by Courtney Arlett, we explore exactly that. The film follows two friends who have been in each other’s lives since the age of 14. They know everything about one another, lean on each other for support, are each other’s safe space, confidant, and most importantly the foundation of any great relationship: best friends.

Blinded by fear, Queen and Marcel continue to keep their growing affection in the friend zone until one night of drinks - and now we’re cueing Beyoncé’s “Drunk in Love.” But what happens when the next morning is full of regret, confusion, and what-ifs?

Friend Zone beautifully puts healthy Black love on display in many different forms; from father and son, to good girlfriends who truly have your back, to mother and daughter, and even the healthy ending of a prior romantic relationship. Courtney Arlett beautifully shows that Black love is real, healthy, and long lasting.

During the screening of Friend Zone, I was able to catch up with some of the actors and asked if they had ever been "friend-zoned," or placed someone there themselves. Nzinga said, “I think so. But if you were put in the friend zone for a reason, then you know what the reason was. So stay over there... we can enjoy each other, and we ain’t gotta risk nothing.”

Maurice P. Kerry said he has absolutely been in the friend zone, laughing, “I’m pretty sure I’m in it right now! I had to cut a couple people off because it was a waste of my time. Like, I done did all this? Okay, go ahead with your bad self, lol.”

Angelo Diaz admitted he’s never been in the friend zone for too long, but yes, he’s had to put some people there himself. “It happens,” he said. “But you can recover from the friend zone. It’s all about intent it’s all about action and courage.”

Streaming Friend Zone on the ALLBLK Network is supporting Black stories, supporting Black love, and supporting the greater conversation that Courtney wants us to have: that full-figured women can be the lead, can have love, and that all people are beautiful in all of who they are.

Check out the photos from the red-carpet below!