James Baldwin once wrote, “Love takes off the masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.” Baldwin also scribed, “To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious, is to be in a rage almost all the time…” Those two quotes perfectly embody the nature of If Beale Street Could Talk. Director Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) masterfully brings to life this beautiful film based on the James Baldwin novel of the same name.
Set in early 1970s Harlem, Beale Street is the story of Tish and Fonny, played by KiKi Layne and Stephan James. They are in love. They are going to be parents and they want to get married. Their love is the kind of stuff that story books are made of. When they are together it’s as if the rest of the world doesn’t exist. And even if it does, it exists only for them. Their budding romance is paused abruptly when Fonny is arrested for a crime that he claims he didn’t commit. Fonny’s “holy roller” mother played by Aunjanue Ellis (The Help, Undercover Brother) does not approve of Tish. After finding out about the baby, she is not shy about voicing her disapproval for young Tish as if she is responsible for her son’s predicament. Ellis’s time on-screen, though limited, is extremely effective. She has a gift for having the audience feel the disdain ooze from her every pore.
Limited screen time is something Jenkins maximizes as is seen in quite a few of the supporting performances. Brilliant acting, immense talent and they are not required to do any of the heavy lifting. Though their time on-screen is brief, it is not wasted. Performances from Dave Franco (The Disaster Artist), Teyonah Parris (Chi-Raq, Survivor’s Remorse), Diego Luna (Star Wars: Rogue One), Colman Domingo (The Birth of a Nation), Emily Rios (Snowfall, Breaking Bad) and Ed Skrein (Deadpool) bring a welcomed nuanced gravitas to an already deep and disturbing, albeit beautiful script.
Two of the best performances, Oscar worthy at that, belong to Brian Tyree Henry (Atlanta, Widows) and Regina King (Seven Seconds, American Crime). Henry plays ‘Daniel’, a close friend of Fonny recently returned home after serving time in prison. Fonny invites Daniel over with the purpose of catching up with his old friend. Instead, Daniel gives a haunting account of life on the inside. Jenkins had the fantastic instinct to allow this scene to take its time. It cuts deep and is absolutely heartbreaking. Regina King plays Tish’s mother ‘Sharon Rivers’. She will literally go to the ends of the earth in order to give Fonny and Tish the happy ending that not only she thinks they deserve, but that we, the audience, are rooting for.
Behind the camera we get cinematography from James Laxton (Moonlight) and score by Nicholas Britell (Moonlight). Both components work together seamlessly breathing life and soul into Beale Street. Choices made by both auteurs will captivate your audio and visual senses. Hopefully their contributions will be honored by the Academy in the coming weeks.
Beale Street is a resounding success. It’s delightful, challenging, beautiful, soul-stirring and perfect in every way. Barry Jenkins proves that he is a master at his craft and one of the best talents working today. He gets the best out of his actors, his crew and the screenplays that he himself adapts. If Beale Street Could Talk is not just the best picture of 2018, it’s one of best movies that I’ve ever come across.
Studio: Annapurna Pictures
Title: If Beale Street Could Talk
Writer/ Director: Barry Jenkins
Producers: Chelsea Barnard, Mark Ceryak, Megan Ellison, Sarah Esberg, Dede Gardner, Caroline Jaczko, Barry Jenkins, Jeremy Kleiner, Jillian Longnecker, Sara Murphy, Brad Pitt, Adele Romanski
Based on the book by: James Baldwin
The Eddiot Savant 