If Beale Street Could Talk: A Must-See Movie

Barry Jenkins’ beautifully-crafted movie adaptation of James Baldwin’s novel, If Beale Street Could Talk, is a must-see because of its incredibly (and almost scarily) relevant themes surrounding racial justice. The film was released by Plan B Entertainment on Christmas Day in 2018 and was nominated for several awards, including a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture. Regina King won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for her performance as Sharon, a supporting character. Nicholas Brittel, who composed the musical score for the film, also worked with Jenkins on the Oscar-winning film, Moonlight. Beale Street stars Stephen James and Kiki Layne as star-crossed lovers Alonzo (Fonny) and Clementine (Tish).

The Beale Street movie and book both have nonlinear plots; this is part of what makes the story so captivating and engaging. At the very beginning of the film, Tish visits Fonny, her fiance, in prison and tells him that she is pregnant with his baby. The movie then includes a series of flashbacks revealing more and more information about the couple’s relationship, their families, and how Fonny came to be incarcerated.

Some of the most telling scenes occur when Tish visits Fonny in prison and speaks to him through a glass partition, updating him on his trial, the baby, and displaying how much she misses him. Stephen James and Kiki Layne are terrific at expressing deep emotion and vulnerability through their facial expressions and silences. Tish and Fonny do not need to say much for the viewer to understand the inner turmoil they are experiencing; it is evident through the actors’ eyes that they are grappling with the pain of longing. They know that they are victims of an unjust penal system but they still feel the joy and hopefulness of the love they share. James and Layne have excellent chemistry on screen and their performances provide a convincing argument that love can conquer all. It is surprising that James and Layne did not receive any awards for their emotionally raw performances as Fonny and Tish.

The cinematography in Beale Street is very intentional and artistic. A series of black and white photos of Black people being imprisoned and abused by police flash across the screen as Tish narrates about the injustices Black people face in America. A Miles Davis record plays softly in the background while Daniel, Fonny’s old friend, speaks about his horrifying experience in prison. Nicholas Brittel, the movie’s composer, integrated the music of many other jazz artists from the time period, such as John Coltrane and Aretha Franklin. 

My one criticism is that some of the costumes that the characters wear and the settings seem a bit too “polished” for poor characters living in Harlem (especially when compared with the book’s descriptions of their clothing and horrible living conditions). It seems that the cinematographers decided to sacrifice some aspects of realism for aesthetic appeal.

Although viewers who have read James Baldwin’s novel will surely notice some significant differences between the film and the book, Jenkins still captures the beauty of Tish and Fonny’s love story while conveying the extreme urgency of the story’s themes. The book will always be “better” than the movie, but Beale Street is certainly a movie worth watching.