Si Beale Street pouvait parler

I can't believe this was only on for two hours, I genuinely felt as if it had been on for over three, it feels incredibly long.

It's powerful story, but I felt that some of the bite of it doesn't quite cut through, because of the pacing. Every single scene feels so drawn out, I don't mean in an artistic way, I mean in terms of editing.

Regina King is tremendous, what a truly wonderful talent, truly does steal the show.

It looks amazing, and the music throughout is just incredible, I instantly had to visit many of the tracks used, this really showed what music can do in a movie.

Maybe on a different day I could have gotten into it better, I enjoyed it, just found it too slow. 6/10.

This film is based on James Baldwin's novel of the same name. I read it at the time and was very moved. It told me so much I didn't know. But that was in 1974, and one has heard the same story over and over since then. Barry Jenkins is telling a period piece, a mood piece. It is brilliantly acted and gorgeously shot. The music is too loud, but maybe that is deliberately appropriate. The narrative moves very slowly, with the deceptive languor of the South. That might work if it were set in the South, but it's not; it's Harlem. It has the feel of 1974, and it certainly could be New York - or Philadelphia or Baltimore - or Chicago or Detroit (which was only beginning to disintegrate then). In short, it doesn't feel tethered. Memphis, it is not. The result is that, unlike Moonlight, which was very involving, this film is rather stereotypical. Again, that was new in 1974. But not now. Today, we see the same stories over and over on TV screens - some of which are sadly still all too true, and others which are probably ginned up and definitely exploitive. I kept looking at my watch and thinking, "will nothing ever happen?", and it didn't. In short, If Beale Street Could Talk does look impressive. (Jenkins' fans are already gushing. And I am one, but I'm not blown away.) Moonlight it is not.

A sumptuously shot, delicately layered & beautifully composed symphony of love, hope, tragedy, sacrifice & communal bonding, If Beale Street Could Talk is a pure, poetic & passionate piece of work from Barry Jenkins that presents the filmmaker making terrific use of his skillset to deliver yet another emotionally resonant fable.

The story follows a young African-American woman whose life takes a tragic turn after her fiancé is wrongfully arrested for a crime he didn't commit. With the couple expecting their first child, she races against time to prove his innocence and seeks support from her family who help her throughout her pregnancy and with the case.

Fresh from his Academy Award-winning Moonlight, writer-director Barry Jenkins translates James Baldwin's novel on the film canvas with honesty & authenticity, thus making sure the story's essence remains in tact. Each scene is crafted with care & compassion, and the resulting imagery from that is rich in both colours & emotions.

From a technical standpoint, If Beale Street Could Talk is sophisticated filmmaking throughout. The images aren't just gorgeously rendered but are more than capable of narrating the entire story without any verbal exposition. The unhurried pacing is deliberate yet may not appease all while Nicholas Britell's stirring score is as fitting as it is emotionally evocative.

Coming to the performances, the film packs a reliable cast in Kiki Layne, Stephan James, Regina King, Colman Domingo, Brian Tyree Henry & Ed Skrein, and none of them falter in their respective roles. Layne & James play the young couple and share a heartfelt chemistry on screen. Skrein is easily detestable as the racist cop. And King leaves her own mark with a solid input.

On an overall scale, If Beale Street Could Talk is an amalgamation of polished direction, sincere writing, arresting photography, mesmerising score & committed performances that manages to be heartwarming & heartbreaking in equal doses, and finds Barry Jenkins channeling his creative energy to give expression to his African-American legacy through the eyes of a young couple, their families & their lives.

This movie was amazing! It was refreshing to see your true love story. I also love the way it told the story of a generation of lost men and shattered families at the hands of institutionalized racism. And how I generation of single mothers came to exist in America. Well written, well acted and beautifully shot.

If Beale Street Could Talk's screenplay lacks enough genuine conflict to keep it as engaging as it could be.