Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk follow-up to his 2016 Oscar winner for Best Picture Moonlight is a soft tale of two African American lovers set in 1970’s Harlem. The film is adapted from the 1974 James Baldwin novel of the same name. After the critical success of Moonlight, Jenkins more or less could have picked whatever movie he wanted to do next and received the green light and the funding. If anything, I am glad that he only waited about a year to begin his next project. If Beale Street Could Talk is a fine little film. As good as it is, I somehow expect that the novel was even better. However, it lacks the emotional punch that Moonlight had, even if it has a plot that would make you angry had you not already known for it to be true. While not based specifically on a true story, as the opening lines of the movie suggest, “Every black person born in America was born on Beale Street, whether in Jackson, Mississippi or Harlem, New York. Beale Street is our legacy.” one could say that this movie is a combination of so many true stories about how African Americans were treated in this country in the 1970s. Unfortunately, while this film should evoke more anger, we have become a hardened society. As a society, we often barely blink at the atrocities happening today. So are we really going to get upset anymore at injustices from 40+ years ago? Especially when this isn’t new information. It’s sad, but we have become hardened as a society.
When I look at the overall conclusions that I drew from this movie, I felt like there wasn’t a ton that I learned that I hadn’t known before. Yes, race relations in this country have been poor since the inception of our country. They were bad in the 1970s, and they are still bad today. And it makes no sense. Without giving anything away, I feel terrible for what Fonny had to do to appease his situation. It’s a situation I wouldn’t have had to go through in the 1970s and one that I would not have to go through today. And that is not fair. And I cannot imagine what it is like to be terrified of what might happen to me because of my skin color. I am terrified when I do something (slightly) wrong and don’t get caught. I can be on pins and needles and full of guilt. I can’t imagine just being accused of something that I did not do. And it’s completely unfair that others have to feel that feeling.
The assets of this movie were its back-and-forth storytelling, its flow, and its acting. I can’t really pinpoint any negatives about this movie other than I don’t think it’s a Best Picture Academy Award Nomination movie, even in a less than stellar year in 2018. If Beale Street Could Talk is so dialogue-driven that I think it might even work better as a play than a movie. There’s almost no action. The film gives a feeling of resignation more than hope, though there are hopeful elements in place. It was a solid breakthrough performance for Layne. Likewise, it should give James more opportunities as a leading man. The performance that will likely be recognized during the awards season will be Regina King (television’s Southland, television’s American Crime), who plays Tish’s loving and protective mother, Sharon. She serves as a perfect foil to Fonny’s mother (Aunjanue Ellis – The Help, I Love You Phillip Morris), who believes her son is too good for Tish and isn’t afraid to show it. The final component that helped this film succeed was its use of music. If you listen carefully, you will hear hints of brass, stringed, piano, percussion, etc. instruments playing as an overlay in almost every single scene. You have to listen for it, but it helps create mood, and the storytelling type of feeling is enhanced.
This movie was good. It just wasn’t great. We have this new filmmaker in Jenkins who basically had keys to the kingdom in determining which project to tackle next. Personally, I wish he would have tackled something as daring as Moonlight. If Beale Street Could Talk would have succeeded with a lesser director, in my opinion.
Plot 8/10
Character Development 8/10
Character Chemistry 8/10
Acting 8.5/10
Screenplay 8.5/10
Directing 8.5/10
Cinematography 7.5/10
Sound 10/10
Hook and Reel 8/10
Universal Relevance 9/10
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