If Beale Street Could Talk Movie Review

If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)

Rent If Beale Street Could Talk on Amazon Video // Buy the book
Written by: Barry Jenkins (written for the screen by), James Baldwin (based on the book by)
Directed by: Barry Jenkins
Starring: KiKi Layne, Stephan James, Colman Domingo, Teyonah Parris, Michael Beach, Dave Franco, Diego Luna, Pedro Pascal, Ed Skrein, Brian Tyree Henry, Regina King
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
A woman in Harlem embraces her pregnancy while she and her family struggle to prove her fiancé innocent of a crime.

Verdict
This is an impressive movie. Everything works together to create an intimate and emotional movie. You feel what this movie is saying, you empathize with the characters. The directing and performances are amazing as characters are brought to life. The movie explores discrimination and abuse of power through a couple in love. It's incredibly well crafted, exemplifying what a movie can not just say, but do.
Watch it.

Review
The whole movie is imbued with a lot of emotion, this has the same feel as Moonlight (read my review) which Barry Jenkins also did. This is a well made movie. From the start the composition of each shot is really good. The movie looks great.

This jumps around in time, contrasting Tish and Fonny before and after his wrongful arrest. That helps make the point, but even without the non-linear format this is a relatively small plot that has a big impact. The format helps to emphasize the points being made.

This is a couple in love, and Jenkins does such a great job of bringing that to life through imagery and performances. This couple is the backbone of the movie, but racism and discrimination pull them apart. Set in the 1970's, the couple is in a tight spot after Fonny's arrest. Both families are upset, and in their first interaction early in the movie it's clear they don't like each other. That seems is visceral.

There is plenty of family drama, but the way these emotions are crafted is impressive. Great performances and directing grab you. Conversations are truly engaging, and not many movies manage that.

The movie is a journey, exploring the cost of a police officer's false allegations on one family. It affects every single member of the family. It's not just Fonny who is arrested, or Tish his wife. Fonny and Tish's entire life is thrown off track. While the cop who lied and abused his power is free to continue doing exactly that.
While it's easy to write this off and say the '70s were like that, these types of incidents aren't just relegated to the past. Discrimination exists and persists, but what this movie focuses on is the cost and how wide that impact is. This is an experience.