Movie Review: If Beale Street Could Talk

If Beale Street Could Talk **** ½ / *****

Directed by: Barry Jenkins.

Written by: Barry Jenkins based on the book by James Baldwin.

Starring: KiKi Layne (Tish Rivers), Stephan James (Alonzo 'Fonny' Hunt), Regina King (Sharon Rivers), Colman Domingo (Joseph Rivers), Teyonah Parris (Ernestine Rivers), Michael Beach (Frank Hunt), Aunjanue Ellis (Mrs. Hunt), Ebony Obsidian (Adrienne Hunt), Dominique Thorne (Sheila Hunt), Diego Luna (Pedrocito), Finn Wittrock (Hayward), Ed Skrein (Officer Bell), Emily Rios (Victoria Rogers), Pedro Pascal (Pietro Alvarez), Brian Tyree Henry (Daniel Carty), Dave Franco (Levy), Ethan Barrett (Young Fonny), Milanni Mines (Young Tish).

 

Barry Jenkins adaptation of James Baldwin’s If Beale Street Could Talk is a tragedy. It is a tragedy in that it depicts the human toll of systematic injustice – it’s ripple effects that affect everyone around the person who is the target of that injustice. And how, even when it’s “over” it’s never really over – it leaves lasting scars – scars that can be passed down through generations. Yet – despite all of this, If Beale Street Could Talk is hardly a hopeless film. It is a film that contains great beauty, and the soaring emotions of young love – and then watches as everything tries, but fails, to destroy that love.

 

The film takes place in the 1960s in New York, and flashes around in time as it tells the love story between Tish (Kiki Layne) and Fonny (Stephan James) – a pair of kids who grew together as friends, and now in their early 20s have fallen in love. They plan to get married. But then Fonny is arrested for a rape he didn’t commit, and has to await his trail in jail. Tish finds out she is pregnant. Everyone keeps working to try and get Fonny the best lawyer they can afford – but even if nothing about the prosecution case makes any sense, he’s still work likely than not screwed.

 

Just as the book did (and the film follows the book very close in terms of narrative), the film flashes back and forth in time – to show just how much in love Tish and Fonny are, how happy they are together as the plan their life. Because we flash to the scenes of the pair of them speaking through glass at the jail though, even these scenes are tinged with sadness – we know where this is leading. Those scenes of young love are beautiful though – shot in rich colors by Jenkins, who is able to make you feel that love between them. There is an honest, romantic sex scene in the film that is beautiful in what it shows, and what it doesn’t. Or even a silly scene like when Fonny and a prospective landlord (Dave Franco) mime bringing in a fridge to the couples new “apartment” – that sounds goofy, but is really touching and sweet. The film also shows Tish’s family – the ever supportive mother, Sharon (Regina King), the charming father (Colman Domingo), and the fiery sister (Teyonah Parris). An early highlight – perhaps the best scene in the movie actually – is when Tish’s family calls Fonny’s family over to their apartment to share the good news of the pregnancy. It does not go well. That scene is a masterclass in acting, writing and directing – as it bounces between different tones, from hilarious, to downright scary and everything in between.

 

If that isn’t the best scene in the film, then it comes about halfway through the movie when Fonny meets an old friend, Daniel (Brian Tyree Henry), on the street and invites to his place for dinner. Daniel has just gotten out of jail after two years – and the experience haunts him – has scarred him in a way that he will not soon recover from. Outwardly, Daniel can be funny, charming, gregarious – but he has those moments where he goes into himself, and cannot come out of it. Henry is only onscreen for about 10 minutes (perhaps less) – but his appearance completely changes the tenor of the rest of the movie. This could easily be Fonny if they are not careful, if and when, he gets out of jail.

 

That Jenkins chose If Beale Street Could Talk as his follow-up to the Oscar winning Moonlight is both an odd choice, but strangely the correct one. Baldwin hasn’t been adapted to the screen often – a combination of his writing style being very hard to put on screen, and the Baldwin family not being overly eager to sell the rights of his books for what would likely be inferior movies. But Jenkins understands Baldwin – understands how to translate that brilliant prose to the screen. Yes, he comes some dialogue directly from Baldwin’s novel in the movie – it’s too good not to – but Jenkins finds a way to visually do what Baldwin does in his writing. Neither Jenkins’ or Baldwin’s style is invisible – it calls attention to itself (in a good way), because it is such beautiful style. Even If Beale Street Could Talk is a dark story, this is perhaps the most beautiful film of the year – with James Laxton’s wonderful cinematography that evokes the films of Douglas Sirk or Wong Kar Wai, the period detail in the Production and Costume Design, and Nicholas Britell’s wonderful score. It is also one of the best acted film of the years – Regina King is (rightfully) winning a lot of awards – she is brilliant throughout the movie, but the Puerto Rico sequence is particularly great, but Henry should be right there with her – and the rest of the cast doesn’t have a weak link. For my money, this is an even better film than Moonlight – already one of the best Oscar winners for Best Picture in decades.

 

In short, this is a beautiful film, impeccably written and directed by Jenkins, with a great cast that tells an important story, but doesn’t get bogged down in trying to be important. It is a film that puts its story and character first, and never feels like it’s preaching at us, or lecturing us. It is a beautiful, tragic film – and one of the best of the year.