A young man searches for home in the changing city that seems to have left him behind.
A24 has always gotten enormous praise from critics, audiences alike, and I. Not only do I applaud them for releasing arthouse films with actual substance but also for releasing a lot of these titles in the summer against stiff competition. One of their summer releases this year is “The Last Black Man in San Francisco.” The trailers for the film were very vague so I didn’t truly have any expectations. I can say while the film is not my favorite A24 movie (not even of this year), I was impressed by it.
“The Last Black Man in San Francisco,” tells the story of Jimmie Falls (character of the same name) who has an affinity for the house he claims his grandfather built. When the house goes up for sale, Jimmie, alongside his best friend Montgomery Allen (Jonathan Myers), try to save the house while Montgomery writes a one-man show. First things first, the performances are pretty great all around. The unique thing about the actors in this film is some play grounded characters while some of them play caricatures of the people in the city but none of the actors take a step back (standout for me was Jonathan Myers).
The story itself is a lot to unpack and that’s really where my problem with the film lies. The narrative behind the movie is one big allegory about blackness in many facets. One, black people tend to try to find a sense in belonging in a place that not only are they not from, but are not welcomed in. African-American people with ancestors that only trace back to slavery to their knowledge attempt to find a sense of home in America when deep down they know they are not originally from here and if it was up to some people would be ejected quickly. Another metaphor from the screenplay (written by director Joe Talbot, Jimmie Falls, and Rob Richert) is exemplifying the phrase “black people are not a monolith.” Throughout the film, subtly and unsubtly, there are many nods to the different types of black people and how they interact with each other and how they live in their biases. But with all of these rich themes, the narrative itself doesn’t have the meat of a story within it and truly lacks some substance. The story feels like a series like of events strung together but with no real over-arcing narrative to leave the film with. Simply, brilliant allegory with a not so brilliant story.
Joe Talbot directs the hell out of this film. While I feel the story is lacking, the actual storytelling is amazing, unique and clever. The film itself looks beautiful with art direction I truly admired. The score is so soothing and plays a big character in the whole film that I for one, found myself looking up after the film was over. But the standout here is the cinematography. I mean talk about jaw-dropping. Many instances of spectacular framing, particular shot selection, and visually pleasing zoom-outs left an imprint in my brain. I can only applaud Talbot from the director’s chair and wish to see a lot more from him.
So yes, if you can catch “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” please do. Great performances coupled with a killer metaphor. The score is memorable so is the cinematography. My only drawback is the story within the film is a bit lackluster but if you can see this movie by Joe Talbot, please do.
Now available on Digital HD and on Blu-ray™ (plus Digital), DVD, and On-Demand August 27th
