If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)

As I'm yet to read James Baldwin's work —hopefully I'll get to read something soon— and I was not a fan of Moonlight when I first saw it —I rewatched it recently and it definitely worked better for me the second time—, I didn't care about Barry Jenkins's If Beale Street Could Talk. It getting a Best Supporting Actress nomination is the reason I watched it anyway. 

Set in 1970s Harlem, the story follows a young African-American couple, Tish (Kiki Layne) and Fonny (Stephan James). Shortly after Fonny is falsely accused of the rape of a Peurto Rican woman (Emily Rios), Tish learns that she's pregnant with Fonny's child. As childbirth approaches, Tish and her family try to prove that Fonny is innocent.

The plot is simple and straightforward, yet complex as the story is about love, tragedy, hope and sacrifice thick with social commentary on race relations, police brutality, racial discrimination and the United States' unjust system that targets minorities. Unfortunately, while the non-linear narrative makes it more compelling, the story itself isn't particularly interesting, it unfolds very slowly, there are some subplots that feel forced, and it didn't have any emotional impact on me.

The characters are the film's saving grace. In the second part of If Beale Street Could Talk, Barry Jenkins dives deep into characterization which results in complex, compelling characters that are likeable, sympathetic and, although there was something off about the young couple —I felt like there wasn't a lot of chemistry between Layne and James—, I couldn't help but be invested and root for them.

Chemistry aside, the performances are good, Kiki Layne being the stand out as her voice-over narration is absorbing and her portrayal of Tish is believable and carefully and slowly constructed. She is the glue that holds the characters and the film together. Stephen James, unfortunately, never goes past the pity case. Regardless of her small screen time, Regina King shines as she gives a passionate and convincing performance as Tish's mother and gets to deliver some of the film's best lines. It's simply impossible to take you eyes off of her when she's on screen.

Annapurna Pictures

As with Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk has a wonderful cinematography, with beautiful, atmospheric long shots and intimate close-ups of the young lovers that add to the film's poeticality. The musical score is also beautiful.

Overall though the film didn't convince me. It felt cold and detached, the pace is too slow, many scenes are dragged on too long, and it just feels like it goes on for 3+ hours when it's almost 2 hours long.