A woman in Harlem desperately scrambles to prove her fiancé innocent of a crime while carrying their first child.
“If Beale Street Could Talk” is an adaptation of a novel written by legendary Author and Civil Rights Activist James Baldwin and is set in 1970s in Harlem. It is beautifully written and directed by Academy Award-winner Barry Jenkins who is known for his powerful and thought-provoking films such as “Moonlight” and “Medicine for Melancholy.”
This film tells the struggle of a young black woman named Tish (KiKi Layne) who tirelessly fights to get justice for her imprisoned fiancé Alonzo “Fonny” Hunt (Stephan James) who has been falsely accused of raping a white woman. While Fonny is in jail, Tish finds out she is pregnant and with the support of her family, gets an attorney in the attempt to get Fonny released. When the family is informed that the accuser is a woman named Victoria Rogers (Emily Rios), they try to track her down when she suddenly flees to Puerto Rico. Tish’s mother Sharon (Regina King) goes after her with the hopes of getting her to admit Fonny’s innocence in court but Victoria shuts down and refuses to cooperate. Sharon returns home, Tish gives birth to a baby boy and years go by while Fonny is still in jail but the family never gives up hope.
There are many things I love about this movie. It is not your average love story with a fairy tale ending because I feel they are extremely important in demonstrating the very attributes that are always stripped away when there is any portrayal of a black family on the big screen, like the spirit of innocence, love, hope, courage, unity, and strength.
The first thing I like is that they are a loving black family with an amazing father who is present in the home. He is the head of the household, employed, well respected and cared for like any other family. There is also a strong bond between them, they display support and trust which we see clearly throughout the film. I’m so tired of seeing black homes depicted as broken, fatherless, with an excessive amount of disrespect with no unity; this was definitely exhilarating to experience.
I also loved how director Barry Jenkins captured the gentleness of the story. Too many times black relationships are shown as disrespectful, loud, and aggressive. I thought every moment had a beautiful softness that was revealed with the music, the lighting, the tone in their voices, and the actual movement of the film which was slow, steady, and purposeful, not rushed. We see this the most in the connection between Tish and Fonny. Their relationship is innocent, sweet, gentle and caring but Fonny also maintains his protectiveness and masculinity whereas, in many other films, I notice this is taken away from the black man, creating this impression of submissive, weak behavior. We see an example of his maintained protectiveness and masculinity in a scene where Tish is disrespected by a white man in the market. When Fonny enters the store and witnesses this, he confronts the man instead of brushing it off out of fear. The police show up, let the white man run free and then threaten to take Fonny to jail. Tish jumps in to defend Fonny and on the way home, he angrily tells her to never defend him. What a powerful moment.
The racism and injustice throughout the film are blatant, from apartment managers not wanting to rent Tish and Fonny space, to the judge sentencing Fonny to heavy jail time without any real evidence of this so-called crime, something we are still going through right now in this country. Speaking of jail, one scene that I thought was very intense and revealing was the conversation between Fonny and his old friend Daniel (Brian Tyree Henry) in a flashback scene.
Fonny runs into an old childhood friend name Daniel (Brian Tyree Henry). He invites him over and Daniel shamefully discloses that he was just released from jail a few months ago. He tells Fonny what it is really like to be behind bars, how cold and lonely it is, how nobody cares about you, how you are on your own to take care of yourself. He tells him all of the horrible things he’s seen happen to others and hints at some unforgettable situations he experienced himself. He tells Fonny that many are forced to lie and admit to crimes they never committed with a promise of a lighter sentence. He reveals to being deeply afraid every single day of the situations that he saw happening in jail.
I thought it was such an emotional scene because of the vulnerability and openness between the two. They pull back the layers and admit to feeling afraid, alone, and empty. Daniel talks about how hard it is coming home and finding it difficult to find work just to take care of himself. This scene was much more than vulnerability, it was also a truly deep understanding of how the justice system aims to incarcerate black men for crimes they didn’t commit or give heavy sentences for petty crimes, setting them up to admit they did it. Once they are in the system, it breaks them down so when and if they are ever released, they are unable to take care of themselves or their families and have to rely on crime just to get by which leads them back to where they started.
I absolutely loved the cast, they worked so well together. The chemistry flows effortlessly between the characters and there is never a moment you have to question about the authenticity of their relationships. The script is strong, the storyline is solid, and the acting is perfect. You are going to love this film, I felt like this could have been set in 2018, as we are dealing with the same issues of injustice, racism, and mass incarceration for crimes that were indeed never committed. This is one of those films that long after you see it, you will still be thinking of things to discuss. It was deep, powerful and inspiring.
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