#4: If Beale Street Could Talk

Mr. Jenkins seems to like those unusual narrative choices. Moonlight ("- Best Picture - Moonlight") had 3 sections, and Beale Street had a lot of asides that are common to a story like this - Pointing out how shit life was (is) for black people in the unjust country that is America. That anti-blackness is not just reserved for white people or cops, that belief in stereotypes run rampant no matter what race you are.

That the first black person you see is the one that did the crime, that your trauma will ruin someone else's life and, oh well.

Stephan James and Kiki Layne are just so sweet and hopeful it made me cry.

Unlike Moonlight, this is not nominated for Best Picture, or Director, but there is an Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress for Regina King, and Best Score. Better than nothing.

I have long, long thought that the faith Black Americans have in a white God is misplaced and useless, and I'm glad there is a movie where it's clear that the God-loving black people are, frankly, pieces of shit.

Disasters.

Abhorrent.

No one is light-skinned except arguably one side character.

Tyler Perry is shaking!





I do not like the narrative style. I find it odd how it goes from a flashback to modern day, bridged by short narration from Tish. It gives it a very documentary feel that's very jarring against the narrative, sweet style.

So remember that part in Moonlight where Chiron kisses Kevin and you tense up and think "Oh no I hope this doesn't go wrong" and it doesn't?

But then later Chiron snaps and like attacks the other boy and goes to jail and you have that feeling of despair that turns to hope at the end of the movie?

You don't get that here. You get the unfairness of the world. There's no sense of quiet triumph that things can get better, at least personally, like in Moonlight.

Besides Annapurna's mismanagement, it's no surprise this didn't go further in award season. It's another sad black narrative, and yes, there's enough room in the world for both kinds of movies.