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Review: ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ is a Beautiful Adaptation of James Baldwin’s Masterpiece

If there was one takeaway from 2016’s Moonlight, the indie underdog that upset at the Oscars, it’s that writer/director Barry Jenkins is a rising talent in the industry. Only his second feature film, Moonlight established him as a talented filmmaker with a unique voice and an eye for the cinematic. If Beale Street Could Talk, an adaptation of the James Baldwin novel of the same name, is a film that certainly continues that reputation.

From a presentation standpoint, the film is undeniably one of the most beautiful films of 2018. Every shot feels so thoughtfully constructed; its maturity and grace parallels the weighty themes of the source material in an incredibly respectful and nuanced way. Each frame is a painting, and the direction, in all aspects, is meticulously crafted with a precision only seen in films by true masters of cinema. The camera has such a natural, almost dream-like movement to it that absorbs you into the world of the film. Shot in the Univisium 2.00:1 aspect ratio, it also provides a unique look only shared by 3 other major films this year.  James Laxton, who was also the director of photography on Moonlight, is bound for another Oscar nomination and definitely a potential win. The score, arranged by Nicholas Britell, is gorgeous as well, providing a jazzy, low-key and subdued ambiance that somehow manages to overwhelm the audience in its beauty. The score, whenever present, permeates the film with its allure and grace.

The film’s best scene, however, is absent of any music, but of course is still a feast to the eyes: a long-take scene shared between Fonny (Stephan James) and Daniel (Brian Tyree Henry), with them simply chatting around a table in Fonny’s apartment, shot beautifully with close-ups through the haze of cigarette smoke. Henry, one of the breakout stars of 2018, appears in an extended cameo and delivers an incredibly powerful performance worthy of Best Supporting Actor. Even with the dream-like nature of the cinematography, the conversation and the subject matter of both the scene and the film seem painfully real and honest. It occurs chronologically before Fonny is falsely imprisoned for rape, and just 3 months after Daniel had been released from prison. Daniel is initially presented to the audience as a comedic, charming presence, but later on, in the same scene, he reveals to Fonny the brutal and terrifying world of the prison system and how it has shaped him. The camera holds on Daniel’s face and we witness his scared eyes underneath his hardened exterior. The performance is truly something special, and this entire scene is one of the most devastatingly real moments in film in 2018. And the movie is filled with powerful scenes such as this one.

Another powerful scene occurs when Tish (Kiki Layne) describes, in the form of narration, her experience working as a black woman in the perfume department of an expensive retail store in the early 1970s. She takes the job in an attempt to make enough money to bail Fonny, her fiance, out of jail, while also being pregnant with his child. Much of the dramatic and emotional tension of the film comes from whether or not Tish, along with her mother, Sharon (played expertly by Regina King), can prove Fonny’s innocence, making the financial struggles of Kiki and her family even direr. The crux of the scene in the store involves a “black cat” metaphor that she uses, which very intelligently sums up the themes of institutional racism, yet also highlights and celebrates the distance one will go for love, making the film so much more than just an ordinary romance.

If Beale Street Could Talk is a gorgeous film that shares the power of love and hope in the face of adversity. It speaks to the generations of black men torn from their families due to the institutional discrimination that continues to be perpetuated. It’s an important film that demands to be seen, a timeless story that will both resonate and devastate. There’s so much more to say about the film, but the main takeaway is this: it’s easily one of the best films of 2018, and Barry Jenkins has still got it.

Score: 5/5

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Review: The Crazy Social Comedy That Is Sorry to Bother You

This film was screened at the 44th Seattle International Film Festival. The film is now in wide release in Seattle.

As our society seemingly becomes crazier and crazier, it takes an even crazier film to encapsulate it all. Stepping up to the plate to do just that is Boots Riley’s Sorry to Bother You. Hailing from the music industry, Riley is making his feature debut with a comedy that wants to put a mirror up to the society we live in and make us question if the world on screen is that different from our own. The result is broad social commentary piece that wants to commentate on many social issues, and while it doesn’t reach the clarity it wants to, it does make for a wild ride.

Taking place in a distant dystopian version of Oakland, the film follows Cassius Green (Lakeith Stanfield), a down on his luck, late twenty year old who is struggling to find a job and pay rent. When he lands a job at a call center, he continues to struggle until he taps into his ‘white voice’ and rises through the ranks to becomes a power caller. As he ascends, Cassius finds himself questioning  his own morals as he chooses between standing by his principles to help those at the bottom or joining the elite for self-benefit.

Joining Stanfield is a commendable all star cast that help play both sides of the fence in Cassius’ moral dilemma. On one side you have Detriot and Squeeze. The former played by Tessa Thompson who is Cassius’ girlfriend and main moral objector while the latter is Cassius’ former co-worker leading a union protest played by Steven Yeun. On the other side you have Steve Lift, a drug fueled billionaire played by Armie Hammer who is enticing Cassius’ with riches to bring his power caller talents on a new venture. To the film’s benefit, the supporting cast plays a major role in depicting the nuances and motivations in Cassius’ actions and help develop the moral compass and messages within the film.

Sorry to Bother You covers a spectrum of social ailments, but never dives deep on any particular issue. Instead, the film paints a broad picture of society where anything and everything is heightened, hyperbolized, and exaggerated to reflect society as it currently stands. When you see absurd television shows that ask you to kick the ‘shit’ out of people, a ‘worry-free’ job that locks you into a life time of service, or a power callers profiting off of weapon sales, you’ll get a sense of how out of hand society feels. The film likes to offer a variety of individual statements that provide brief commentary on any given issue ranging from race relations and labor practices to capitalism and colonialism, but in doing so it can feel unfocused in the name of being all encompassing. It has a lot to say and no concise way of saying it, and that can be problematic.

But the film is nothing short of unique. Everything has a sense of style from the wide and varied characters to the visual techniques at play. The aforementioned capitalism run amuck is often critiqued using a variety of stylized choices such as Cassius dropping into the real life homes of clients when he calls them, the close ups of Detroit’s interchangeable earrings that have punchy subtext, and an ending that is so crazy you’ll be doing double takes. And that’s what makes Sorry to Bother You so memorable: how outlandish it can be. For all the inconsistencies it may have with its message, it makes up for with how holistically committed it is to its style. While it does stumble, it continues to shine a light on society with humor, satire, and swagger that is commendable to say the least.

Sorry to Bother You tackles an array of social issues such race, labor, colonialism, capitalism, and inequality in a science fiction comedy package. The result is a very clever film that often spreads itself too thin, but paints a hyperbolized version of society as a whole that underscores the injustice in our own. The film’s broad strokes can leave it feeling unfocused and mirky especially by the end when the film gets progressively weirder and weirder, but I can say I enjoyed the social reflection of it all.

Score: 3.75/5 Stars