If Beale Street Could Talk (2019)

Rating: 7/10
Genre: Crime
Related Titles: Fences, Moonlight, Our Family Wedding
By Leanne Harragan

Set in 1970s Harlem, Tish and daughter recall trust, respect and passion that connect her and fiance Alonzo. Friends since childhood, they dreamt of a future together but their lives are torn apart when he's arrested for a crime he didn't commit.

If Beale Street Could Talk is Barry Jenkin's take on James Baldwin's novel of the same name. While this film may not be for everyone it feels incredibly real and big. Jenkin's has an eye for detail and bringing real life onto the screen as already demonstrated in 2016's Best Picture Winner Moonlight. If Beale Street Could Talk follows the love story of Fonny and Tish, a young couple dealing with pregnancy, social pressures and then their lives are thrown into chaos when Fonny is arrested for a crime he did not commit. 

It's by no means the perfect film and it definitely drags at times but I think that if anything was cut out or cut down, the importance and realness of it all could easily be lost. As it's based on true life stories and experiences, it feels quite heavy to view, it's not a film to watch if you want a light-hearted film to get lost in. It's intense and really makes you think about society and the ending doesn't sugarcoat anything, leaving reality to hit home hard. 

One of this things that stood out most while watching this film was the cinematography. The camera work and photography looks incredible, Jenkin's and cinematographer James Laxton have really done a fantastic job on this. It's very clever how the film is set in the 70s and feels that way but it can so easily be applied to the modern day state of the American justice system. Once paired with the score this film looks and sounds fantastic, the score adds to the scenes and without the addition of the beautiful score, some scenes would feel very empty. 

Costume design added beautifully to the cinematography, I particularly loved the early scene where Fonny and Tish are dressed in navy and yellow attire, his navy on yellow and hers yellow on navy, it's a simple matching theme but it's subtlety doesn't go amiss as the two really stand out against the duller backdrop. I also loved the orange/yellow attire that Tish wore while walking along the street, her bright attire once again popped against the duller greys and whites of the houses in the background. 

The cast in this film are excellent, Regina Hall playing Tish's mother Sharon is a delight, her eternal and continued support for her daughters is beautiful. Tish is portrayed by Kiki Layne, her performance is incredible and she definitely carries her scenes with ease. One of the performances that hit me hardest was Brian Tyree Henry playing Daniel, a recent parolee, who according Tish's voice over is large and loud, this shines through but what comes through more is the suffering he faced during the time he spent at prison and the difficulties he faced since. The best performance of the film for me however, came from Teyonah Parris, playing Tish's sister Ernestine, my personal highlight was the way she shutdown a personal attack on her sister, her delivery of the lines was incredible and her sass was real. 

There's plenty you can take from this film, the corruptness of the legal system and those employed within in. The historical corruptness of it all, as despite being set in the 70s, it could easily be set in the modern day with no change to the events that take place. This film won't be for everyone, it's a tad slow and not particularly eventful in the grand scheme of things, but if you can appreciate good cinematography, If Beale Street Could Talk is a must see!

Rating: 7/10
By Rebecca Mannick

I'm not going to lie when I say that I'm slightly disappointed with If Beale Street Could Talk. I understand that its a complete social commentary of the state of society in 1970s America - the injustices which are placed upon black individuals solely because of their skin colour and the racism of those in power. This social commentary is placed upon a teenage couple who are expecting a child together - however the father Fonny is in prison for a crime that he didn't commit. Tish is left living in Harlem with the realisation that she is solely responsible for their child. With the screenplay jumping forward and back through the story you learn that Fonny and Tish's relationship began when they were children and slowly throughout time their romantic relationship was the one in which brought them together and develop a true love.

The reason why I didn't connect to the story line as much as I guess I should have - it was because I was 100% invested into the couples love story.

Something I’ve grown to appreciate is the colour grading of a movie and in this one it really translates the time that it was set and also the mood. The mood was dull and there were only specs of colour mainly in Tish’s clothing which really symbolised her hope in the situation. The acting also carried the movie along - there were some great performances and especially Fonny who was helpless in prison. You could see the pain and desperation in his expression and knowing that he couldn’t make any scenario better made it even worse for him. 

I think one of the reasons which made me not enjoy it so much was the pacing of the film. It was far too slow, it was almost plodding along with no a lot of story happening in the mean time. For the average movie goer you could see them getting frustrated with the lack of events. 

Overall I can tell why it’s getting some award buzz but for me it was just too hard to enjoy because the plot line wasn’t so stimulating. Although I’m quite negative I don’t want to take away from the importance of the storyline, to be honest we’ve already seen the same topics addressed in ‘The Hate U Give’ which is a modern day version of events which hasn’t really changed a whole deal.