If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)

“I’m my mother’s son. Maybe that’s all it is that separates us from them.” – Levy

Number of Times Seen – 1 (24 Jan 2019)

Brief Synopsis – A young woman does all she can in order to help prove the innocence of her boyfriend who is sitting in prison after being falsely accused of rape.

My Take on it – I am among the few movie lovers who has hasn’t been able to find a way to appreciate the work of Barry Jenkins enough because his films just don’t feel as impactful as everyone seems to make them out to be.

This film falls into that category too.

The overall idea is actually an interesting one, but the way that this is presented doesn’t manage to make the characters feel sympathetic enough.

The cast of this film is quite good and they allow us to get a clear picture as to how troubling the way of life was in Harlem during the 1970’s.

Loved the way that this film shows the various voices of support both positive and negative that the characters give one another when dealing with the different kind of ordeals that the characters must grapple with along the way.

The fact that they don’t have all of the characters voicing the same opinion and keep the dialogue diverse works well.

The story itself works well but it fails to be impactful or powerful like a story like this needs to be.

Once again, Jenkins falls short with this film and could have made something so much better with the story presented.

Bottom Line – Interesting idea that unfortunately isn’t as inspiring as one would hope from such a story. The cast is quite good and we get a clear picture of the way of life in Harlem during the troubling times of the 70’s. Loved the way the film shows the various levels of support both positive and negative that the characters get regarding the ordeal they are dealing with instead of making everyone have the same opinion along the way. The story itself works but it fails to be as powerful or as impactful as this kind of situation feels like it should. Jenkins does a nice job with this film, but once again, he falls a bit short of doing something even better.

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – The first trailer was released on August 2, 2018, which would have been the 94th birthday of novelist James Baldwin. (From IMDB)

Rating – BAFTA Worthy (6/10)

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