All Of It — “Love, Brooklyn' Nominated 5 Times at NAACP Image Awards”

Aired: February 23, 2026
Host: Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Guests: Nicole Beharie (actor, “Casey”), Rachel Holder (director, “Love Brooklyn”)

Brief Overview

This episode of All Of It spotlights the film “Love Brooklyn,” recently nominated for five NAACP Image Awards, including Outstanding Independent Motion Picture. Set in brownstone Brooklyn, the film weaves together themes of gentrification, legacy, complicated relationships, and personal growth, all while celebrating the unique spirit of Brooklyn. Host Alison Stewart is joined by Nicole Beharie, who stars as Casey, and director Rachel Holder. Together, they discuss the film’s narrative, artistic choices, and the personal resonance of its themes.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introducing “Love Brooklyn”

• The film uses “brownstone Brooklyn as a backdrop to investigate a changing city and changing relationships.” (00:39)
• Roger (Andre Holland) is a writer stuck on a story about gentrification, caught between two women: his ex, Casey (Nicole Beharie), a struggling gallery owner, and his current muse, Nicole (Dewanda Wise), a widowed mother.

2. Casey’s Character and Changing Brooklyn

• Nicole Beharie on Casey:
  • “Casey was a gift to me... She just wants to see her artists that she represents paid and well taken care of. And as the community's changing, [she] is sort of trying to figure out what that looks like...” (02:05)
  • Casey’s professional and personal life is caught in flux due to Brooklyn’s transformation and her gallery’s financial struggles.

3. Complex Relationships: Dynamics Between Roger, Casey, and Nicole

• Rachel Holder on Narrative Power:
  • “This movie felt like two women deciding whether or not they wanted to be with a man... what was funny to me and lighthearted was that they were deciding in front of him... They were talking directly to him and giving... and not to be cheeky, they were just being really honest... It was a really cool way into a romance where the women had the power.” (03:18)
• The two female leads know of each other, move through life differently, but both challenge the traditional “love triangle.”

4. Distinct Female Perspectives

• Nicole Beharie on Character Difference:
  • “Nicole... she's a mother... they have very strict boundaries, whereas the relationship with Casey and Roger, the boundaries are sort of nebulous and a little mushy... Nicole is being very definitive about what it is and what her expectations are.” (04:55)
• Rachel Holder:
  • Casey and Roger have deep history and comfort, while Nicole maintains an emotional distance, even as she is physically present. (06:28)

5. Memorable Scene: The Grass Conversation

• Alison, Nicole, and Rachel discuss a pivotal scene originally meant for a restaurant, shifted to a park due to a lost location.
• Rachel Holder on Cinematography:
  • “That shot that day, we had lost a location ... and we decided...to shoot it on the grass. Martim is just a stunning, amazing cinematographer. The way that he worked with light is just the beauty that he brought to this was so defining.” (11:14)

6. Brooklyn as Character

• The film avoids stereotypical Brooklyn landmarks, focusing on “unexpected places...Spaces that were really beautiful and defined Brooklyn for me...” (13:30)
• The importance and beauty of Brooklyn’s parks is highlighted—“to create an energy... that would leave an audience feeling like they spent time in Nature.” (13:30)

7. Gallery, Legacy, and Gentrification

• Nicole Beharie:
  • “It’s a dream can come true until it's not... Legacy is...in these communities and these old buildings and all the restaurants and cafes...I think it's more about that even than the selling of art.” (14:54)

8. Art in the Film

• The production design intentionally centered artists of color.
  • “It was important to us to center artists of color. She [production designer Lily] was wonderful in...making every room feel lived in...” (16:53)

9. Theme of Looking Back vs. Moving Forward

• The story references Lot’s wife from the Bible — “do you look back or not?”
• Nicole Beharie:
  • “...for me, that was the thing that was for me, this story about becoming a pillar of salt when you're saved from a thing...that concept...even as we're navigating the world...do you continue to try to hold on to what was...?” (18:16)

10. Creative Process and Growth

• Rachel Holder on Film Direction:
  • “Writing is rewriting...especially in filmmaking, especially in creating a song, you're always sort of starting over a bit to make it...what it should be.” (19:51)

11. What Draws Nicole Beharie to a Role

• Beharie:
  • “It has to be something that I feel like is global or, like, relatable on just, like, a human level, even if it's very specific...and then the people...a good script without saying...something that I feel like is asking a question, and this one is very clear, I think.” (21:39)

12. Quick Cameo from Andre Holland

• Holland, actor and producer, recalls the toughest challenge:
  • “Producing. Woo. It wore me out. But I'm so proud of the movie and so proud of what we made and ready to do it again, strangely.” (23:19)
• On not riding in Brooklyn’s bike lanes:
  • “There aren't that many bike lanes in Brooks. So maybe we need to, you know, start a petition for bike lanes.” (23:35)

Notable Quotes

• Nicole Beharie:
  • “She just wants to see her artists that she represents paid and well taken care of and as the community's changing, is sort of trying to figure out what that looks like...” (02:05)
• Rachel Holder:
  • “It was a really cool way into a romance where the women had the power.” (03:18)
  • “I think adults, we're always sort of coming of age. We're always growing. Hopefully we don't stop doing the work until it's over.” (10:54)
• Beharie on legacy:
  • “Legacy is...in these communities and these old buildings and all the restaurants and cafes...I think it's more about that even than the selling of art.” (14:54)
• Andre Holland:
  • “Producing. Woo. It wore me out. But I'm so proud of the movie and so proud of what we made and ready to do it again, strangely.” (23:19)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:39] — Introduction: Film overview, characters, and setting
• [02:05] — Nicole Beharie describes Casey
• [03:18] — Rachel Holder on the film’s female power dynamic
• [04:55] — Beharie and Holder compare Casey and Nicole’s worldviews
• [07:57] — Film clip: Roger and Casey discuss his new relationship
• [11:14] — Shift in filming location and its impact on visual storytelling
• [13:30] — Brooklyn as a living, breathing character
• [14:54] — Inheriting the gallery and negotiating legacy
• [16:53] — Art direction and supporting artists of color
• [18:16] — Looking back vs. moving forward: the Lot’s wife allegory
• [19:51] — Rachel Holder on directing, the creative process
• [21:39] — What makes Nicole Beharie say yes to a role
• [23:19] — Andre Holland cameo on producing and Brooklyn bike lanes

Memorable Moments

• The candid on-air confusion due to actor Nicole Beharie sharing a name with a character (Nicole), humorously untangled for the audience. (04:19)
• Celebration of independent film “magic” in the scramble to film a key scene in a park instead of a restaurant, revealing the realities of low-budget filmmaking and the resulting beauty. (12:05–13:19)
• The subtle but powerful use of biblical allegory (Lot’s wife, pillar of salt) to anchor the emotional core of the protagonist’s arc. (18:16)
• Holland’s light-hearted defense for dodging Brooklyn’s bike lanes: “...maybe we need to, you know, start a petition for bike lanes. Urban development right there.” (23:35)

Tone of the Conversation

The episode is warm, engaging, and intimate, balancing thoughtful discussion on art and identity with the camaraderie and humor of longtime collaborators. Both Nicole Beharie and Rachel Holder celebrate not only the power of place but also the evolution of complex characters wrestling with change, both personally and culturally.

Summary Takeaways

For listeners who haven’t heard the episode, this All Of It installment offers a window into the collaborative spirit of independent cinema, the lived-in reality of Brooklyn’s changing landscape, and the ongoing negotiation of identity, love, and legacy. The conversation is rich with reflections on community, the creative process, and how stories—and storytellers—keep evolving.