If Beale Street Could Talk - Speaks Volumes

By Darlene Donloe

On the surface, the premise of If Beale Street Could Talk is rather simple, but the result is a bit more complicated.

Yes, ultimately, the movie, based on the book by James Baldwin and written and directed by Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) is about love. But this is a new-fangled kind of love.

The one-liner explanation of the film is: A woman in Harlem desperately scrambles to prove her fiancé innocent of a crime while carrying their first child.

The two lovers are Tish, played by Kiki Layne and Fonny, played by Stephan James.  They have a fresh, innocent, passionate kind of love that is unwavering and immeasurable.

When 19-year-old Kiki announces to her family that she is pregnant, she receives nothing but support from her father, mother, and sister. When it came time to announce the pregnancy to her fiance’s family, the father is overcome with joy, but the mother and her two daughters find the whole thing reprehensible and curse the relationship and the baby.  While all of this is going on, Fonny languishes in a jail, accused of a heinous crime he swears he didn’t commit.

The result is devastating for all concerned. But it’s how Tish and Fonny deal with that disappointment that is the crux of the movie. It’s subtle, powerful and brilliant.

Barry Jenkins has, once again, presented a unique love story.  His adaptation of the 1974 James Baldwin novel is shot seductively. A great deal of his direction is tight shots on a character’s face because that’s what matters. It makes for an intimate movie.

From the opening scene of the couple walking hand in hand – looking longingly into each other’s eyes, Jenkins captures the audience. His shot choices and the incredible music forward the story – while simultaneously peeling back the layers of each character’s soul.

Everyone in the film delivers the goods. James and Layne’s chemistry is palpable.

If Beale Street Could Talk – it would say, ‘well done.’

If Beale Street Could Talk, directed by Barry Jenkins, stars Stephan James, Kiki Layne, Regina King, Colman Domingo, Aunjanue Ellis, Michael Beach, Brian Tyree Henry, Pedro Pascal, Teyonah Parris, Dave Franco, Ed Skrein, Finn Wittrock, Diego Luna, Emily Rios, Ebony Obsidian, and Marcia Jean Kurtz.

On the DONLOE SCALE: D (don’t bother), O (oh, no), N (needs work), L (likable), O (oh, yeah) and E (excellent), If Beale Street Could Talk gets an E (excellent).