If Beale Street Could Talk

Oscar-winning writer/director Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) makes a strong return with a tragic love story passed in 1976 about a pregnant young woman who struggles to get her fiancé out of jail after he was wrongfully accused of a crime. Based off the book from James Baldwin of the same name, If Beale Street Could Talk, felt more like watching a play. Along with the gorgeous cinematography and fabulous wardrobe, this romance is carried by its two leads Kiki Layne and Stephen James as well as Regina King, who gives an Oscar-worthy performance as Layne’s mother. I enjoyed the movie, as it is a true melodrama, very lyrical in tone and a suberb sound score that operates a very important role on the final aesthetics, something that Barry Jenkis already did in Moonlight, and that it is one of his trademarks. 

The problem about having a movie as Moonlight in your portfolio, it is that acts almost as a curse, because when you master at a certain level, it is very difficult to pull it off what comes next. I enjoyed this movie, I think it is a very beautiful work and I truly believe that Jenkins, with only 39, is one of the best filmmakers of this era. But there is one exercise that I do, when some movies seem unsetlled to me. I watch the trailer again, and I ask myself if the movie is as good as I expected. The answer is no. Although I believe it is on purpose, I found that this adaptation maybe would work better as a theatrical production. And even enjoying the tone, sometimes it felt like it was out of place. The movie starts with a very strong conflict but the next 100 minutes are in a very slow pace. At the same time, this is another movie that is a 'Black lives matter' manifesto, and I felt kind of lost in the plot. I am not sure if the focus was on racism, if it was on young love or even on motherhood. It can even embrace all of this, but it felt to me like the script lacked some direction and the end sound unfinished. Again, it is not easy to review a movie after Moonlight, but overall I found it a really interesting, emotional and worth-watching piece.