Adapted from a 1974 James Baldwin novel of the same name, 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. 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 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 it to be true. While not explicitly based 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, will we 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.

I don’t say this often without having experienced both media, but as good and well-made as this film was, I imagine the book is even better. This movie didn’t overly move me. At least, I wasn’t moved in a way that I would imagine Jenkins had envisioned. I felt like the i’s were dotted and the t’s were crossed, but this movie didn’t take any risks. This comes from a director who took a ton of risks with Moonlight. The movie is told in the present time with flashbacks to the origin story of a relationship. Tish (newcomer Kiki Layne) is 19 years old and, likely, in her first real relationship. The man pursuing her is the slightly older Fonny (Stephan James – Race, Selma). Tish is shy. She is conservative. She is smart. She is beautiful. She has a ton going for her, and Fonny is no dummy. We meet them extremely early in their relationship. It is after their first date but before the first time that they sleep together. But this is no short-term relationship. Again, Fonny is no dummy. He’s in it for the long hall. Soon, they are shown a spot in an unfinished building that will be turned into condos, painting a picture for Tish of where everything will be. Though we do not see it, the couple has been turned down by numerous other places simply because of the color of their skin.

I mentioned that If Beale Street Could Talk goes back and forth between the present and the origin of the relationship between Tish and Fonny. We soon learn that Fonny has been falsely identified and is awaiting trial in a rape case. We see Tish visiting Fonny in prison, informing him she is pregnant with his son. In this movie, Jenkins doesn’t show the trials and tribulations that Fonny goes through behind bars. Yes, he is a slightly more beaten-down man with each of her visits. But except for their interactions, we don’t see Fonny. In fact, except for a few minimal instances, Tish is in each movie scene. We know of Fonny’s innocence for several reasons, which I won’t get into. It’s explained in the movie. Those circumstances, combined with the character of Fonny, allow us to see that the wrong man has been charged with the crime.

Looking at the overall conclusions I drew from this movie, I feel there wasn’t much 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 frightened 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 being accused of something 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 pinpoint any negatives about this movie other than it’s not 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, it might work better as a play than a movie. There’s almost no action. Though hopeful elements are in place, the film gives a feeling of resignation more than hope. It was a solid breakthrough performance for Layne. Likewise, it should provide James with 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 is 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 scene. You have to listen for it, but it helps create mood and enhances the storytelling.

This movie was good, but it wasn’t great. We have this new filmmaker in Jenkins who had the keys to the kingdom to determine which project to tackle next. 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
84%

B-

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