If Beale Street Could Talk Review

When it comes to love, it takes on many shapes and forms but is it strong enough to endear the obstacles of hardship and injustice.  That lies at the heart of the film adaptation from James Baldwin’s accomplished works called If Beale Street Could Talk, his fifth (technically 13^th book) and the book the accomplished director Barry Jenkins (the compelling, coming of age drama Moonlight) has chosen to adapt for his next film.  Not only featuring the lyrical work of Baldwin and his timeless, powerful words, it also packs a great mix of new to familiar character actors but the focus is squarely on our lovestruck yet tragic couple in a world that is ruled by injustice and hardship.  Does Barry Jenkins succeed in providing another winner in his filmography by showing his clear respect and love for the material being adapted on the big screen?  Let’s dive right into it with the love story from Harlem circa 1970’s, at a time when black people were finally being seen as human beings instead of other defamatory matters.

We follow the couple of Clementine "Tish" Rivers (KiKi Layne) and Alonzo "Fonny" Hunt (Stephan James) throughout different periods of their lives but it starts with them becoming inseparable during their childhood (Young Tish - Milanni Mines and Young Fonny - Ethan Barrett) that lasts even when they are older.  They end up being together and it is a blissful relationship of understanding and love between the lovely couple that becomes serious with their first embrace to finding a studio apartment that becomes symbolic of the future possibilities together.  However. Fonny becomes accused of a violent rape of Victoria Rogers (Emily Rios) that he didn’t commit and is arrested by Officer Bell (Ed Skrein) with Hayward (Finn Wittrock) representing him and his case.  This leads to Tish’s family Sharon Rivers (Regina King), Ernestine Rivers (Teyonah Parris), and Joseph Rivers (Colman Domingo) to have to work on clearing Fonny’s name through desperate, shady means with Fonny’s father Frank Hunt (Michael Beach) upon learning of Tish being pregnant with Fonny’s child at the protest of Mrs. Hunt (Aunjanue Ellis) and her daughters Adrienne Hunt (Ebony Obsidian) and Sheila Hunt (Dominique Thorne).  This becomes a story of ups and downs for this couple and the sacrifices and compromises being made to keep the love they have for each other alive through the reality of life itself.

What elevates this traditional but timeless love story is the poetic, dreamlike quality to the character interactions that provide imagery within the words themselves.  This is attributed to the way Baldwin wrote and Jenkins captures that brilliantly through the performances as well as the cameo scenes who reflect the ideals and themes Baldwin touch upon, regarding race and imprisonment of our humanity as well as a tender exploration of boundless love between the couple.  Time flows non-linearly with the story but it is easy enough to follow Fonny and Tish’s blossoming relationship as well as the Tish’s mother Sharon with her husband trying to find different means to finance Fonny’s investigation and discover the truth behind the crime.  Where the film makes its point clearly is near the end, where it is not resolved cleanly and it results in a choice that relates powerfully to what many falsely accused impoverished people ended up doing tragically.  This lies at the heart of what makes this film tick, the sweetly developed romantic tale mixed with a frustrating yet compelling investigation that echoes the reality of our prejudice and injustice even today that has extended far beyond black people nowadays.

However, there are a few bumps along the way that keep it from being perfect story wise for this film.  Many of the characters are only given one scene to be develop and just disappear, which might seem intentional but when they are performed so well, it is kind of disappointment to see them leave the story completely.  That is the case with Brian Tyree Henry as Daniel Carty, with a fantastic scene regarding the degradation of one’s humanity in prison with Fonny or even Dave Franco as Levy, selling the couple a studio apartment space that truly reflects the optimistic energy the couple emitted effortlessly as examples of truly great scenes with compelling actors and then out of the film completely.  It is a very methodically paced film that relies very much on the cinematic language to convey both storylines, which could alienate those looking for an easier film to watch dramatically.  That is not to discredit what the film does fantastically with Tish and Fonny’s love story in relations to the heartbreaking journey of hardship and injustice that engulfs their lives in relatable ways, compliments of the steady and mesmerizing direction as well as sharply faithful, inspired script work from Jenkins.  

The cast is filled with a great mix of upcoming actors and actresses with recognizable character actors in each of the roles, starting with the leads themselves.  Stephan James is absolutely fantastic in the role of Fonny, bringing to the character a sense of vulnerable openness displaying his love for Tish as well as the emotional torment of being trapped in a place devoid of love.  Kiki Layne is also great as Tish, providing a very closed in but beautifully hopeful woman to the character along with showcasing her changes in a relatable, compelling matter particularly with Regina King as Susan, her mother.  The two of them together have wonderfully affectionate chemistry that makes their romance enjoyable to watch and develop, as well as root for them through the journey they go through around Harlem, NY and in the confines of prison.  They are perfectly casted in these roles and their likable, relatable characters really provide the very core emotions and conflict of the film with gravitas and meaningful drama for a familiar but timeless love story.

The supporting cast is just as stellar and filled with surprising appearance of certain actors/actresses in bit roles as well.  The standout of the supporting cast is Regina King, displaying an inward strength as a motherly character and how she completely commits to the character’s journey for the truth behind the crime that has ruled over Fonny’s life and she is deserving of the accolades and nominations incoming for her remarkable performance.  Many of the actors like Brian Tyree Henry, Aunjanue Ellis, Pedro Pascal as Pietro Alvarez, and Dave Franco all have just one scene or a few different character beats with the lead characters, playing up to their parts and the emotional/humorous character beats they convey in their scenes.  As for the families of the lead characters, they are suitable in their respective roles as fathers and daughters with the small bits of character developments and interactions that add to the overarching theme of hardships and compromises for family.  The entire cast is top notch with the leads driving the film forward importantly as well as a stellar supporting cast with one standout worthy of the praise and accolades for portray an endearing and determined mother searching for the truth.

On the technical side of the film, the noteworthy elements to explore start with the cinematography and editing.  The film was shot by James Laxton, once again showing his prowess in capturing the lyrical, poetic feel of Baldwin’s work through the use of frontal close ups and the mix of vibrant colors of yellow and green to reflect the locations throughout the film.  This is his second film with Jenkins and it is still a winning combination displaying the vulnerabilities of the characters skillfully and compassionately as it was in Moonlight. The editing was done by Joi McMillon and Nat Sanders (more previous collaborators as editors on Moonlight as well) providing a good amount of deliberate pacing and effective contrasts of the shots conveying the tragic desperation of Fonny’s life in prison in the present of the story in conjunction with their blossoming relationship just some time before his arrest.  This interspersed with the compelling music score/soundtrack allows the dialogue scenes really standout from most dramas out there today, along with the emphasis on the switching between scenes of joyful love and life with the raw, truthful reality of life dealing with Fonny’s arrest.  The same level of quality and care in these areas are still top notch, featuring some of the finest shots and engaging editing that made Moonlight so effective visually and narratively.

As this is a period piece, the art direction and costume designs are very prominently handled throughout this film.  The production design was handled by Mark Friedberg and his team with the art team and set decorators pull off the difficult task of replicating New York during the 1970’s, from the rundown apartments to the worn, historical buildings that were still a part of the city during that time. The look of the characters in wardrobe and makeup are very much of the time period, with the lady characters looking the most retro of that time with the lovely dresses used for the film.  From an art design for the whole film, it is absolutely lovely to look at, even during the scenes set in Puerto Rico as well as looking appropriate to the time period in costumes as well as hair/makeup.

Finally, we get to the other astounding technical element that stands out in the sound design involving the musical score and selective soundtrack to reflect the music of the 1970’s.  The score was done by Nicholas Britell is magnificently gently, emotionally affecting, and can reflect tragedy to such an effective level.  Utilizing an intimate Jazz orchestra, he creates a soundscape that reflects that downtrodden yet vibrant atmosphere of Harlem vividly.  There is a unique blend of synth at times with the natural brass sounds to create a very experimental yet fitting sound to some of the pieces, especially during certain monologues that instills the proper emotions for those scenes.  There are also popular tracks used throughout the film from artists like Aretha Franklin, Donny Hathaway, Emily King, D’Angelo, and even Steely Dan just to name a few artists with songs that pop up in sync with the scenes featuring their music.  A fantastic, uniquely crafted score with a stellar selection of songs from notable artists of that time really help the visuals bring this love story come to life from the book.

After a stellar breakthrough into fame from the previous film, we waited with baited breath as to what Barry Jenkins would do next and his follow-up continues to showcase his sensitive talent and attention towards displaying humanity in truthful ways.  This adaptation really understands and display the themes of love and Injustice passionately through the fantastic performances from the cast but the ones that make it believable are the leads and Regina King as the standouts of the fantastic cast.  While it does stretch out storylines that end up going nowhere, characters dropping out of the story, and it loses momentum by the second half, the story is still timely, portrays love with warmth and care for that feeling, and it is tested with a tragic set of events that are all too familiar for families and loved ones.  An intimate yet heartbreaking romance that reflects the beauty and horrors of humanity, through the lens of a black writer and filmmaker.

Score: **** out of *****

If Beale Street Could Talk is a refreshingly truthful, intimate romance/mystery story with the powerfully talented and steady direction of Barry Jenkins and his writings to bring the works of James Baldwin to life in this film.  Both lyrically and poetic, he displays these qualities through the visually inspired cinematography along with the parallel storytelling structure at work here, showcasing their love story by the likeable, compassionate performances from the leads along with a committed and steadfast performance from Regina King, supported by a stellar cast of notable character actors/actresses in their respective roles.  It also features some truly astounding dialogue work that echo the ideas and emotions of Baldwin perfectly in his views of love among black people as well as the injustice faced in front of them on a daily basis.  This is supplemented by a uniquely shaped score by Nicholas Britell with a selection of notable artists of that time period to create the soundscape that elevates the material properly.  Despite some pacing issues in the second half with the storylines kind of petering out, many characters dropping in and out of the story, and it does feel stretch out for a relatively straightforward tale of love and injustice, it is the talents of the director along with the hardworking crew and wonderful cast that allows for the film to shine above its faults, to craft a love story that deserves to be appreciated in these dark days of cynicism and reality.