Some times when you go to the movies you just watch a movie, other times, you watch a beautiful piece of art that leaves you breathless. If Beale Street Could Talk is one of those pieces of art.
If Beale Street Could Talk is written and directed by Academy Award winner Barry Jenkins and is based on a novel written by James Baldwin. It is a story about a young couple, Tish (KiKi Layne) and Fonny (Stephan James), who are dealing with the harsh reality of Fonny being in jail after being falsely accused of rape and Tish being pregnant with their first child. The movie interweaves the story by showing what happens when Tish and Fonny first start dating along with Tish trying to get Fonny out of jail.
There is a lot to love about If Beale Street Could Talk. The first thing is the relationship between Tish and Fonny. The chemistry between them is electric and when they are on screen you can't help but be blown away by what you are watching. At first Tish seems a little timid, but as the movie moves along you start to see her fall more and more in love with Fonny and you can just feel your own heart warming up. The scenes where Tish visits Fonny in prison will just break your heart. The look on Fonny's face is filled with so much hope that he may soon get out of prison, but you know that that is probably not going to happen. And you can tell that his love for Tish is why he has that hope. The look on Tish's face shows that she can tell Fonny is having a rough time in prison. You can't help but want that glass wall that is separating them to be taken away so they can at least hug each other.
Another fantastic aspect of If Beale Street Could Talk is the score by Nicholas Britell. The musical score just adds to the emotion of each scene. Some of the musical cues will fill you with hope and love while others will make you feel despair and sadness.
If Beale Street Could Talk is also beautifully shot. Pretty much every scene of the movie could be framed and hung on your wall. Right from the very first scene you could tell this movie would be special visually. From the way Tish and Fonny's clothes are color coordinated to the way scene is framed with them walking down a stair well, you could see that director Barry Jenkins knows how to shoot a movie.
Because the chemistry between Tish and Fonny was so strong, when they weren't on screen, I got a little impatient and wanted to see them back on screen. There were a couple of moments throughout the movie that involved Tish's parents and while they were good moments, I wanted the movie to go back to focusing on Tish and Fonny. There were also a couple of side stories that never seemed to wrap up. One involved Fonny's friend, Daniel, being a key witness and how the prosecutors were probably going to try and get him to flip and it ended up not really going anywhere. Another dealt with Fonny's mom. When she first finds out that Tish is pregnant, she becomes angry since the child will be born out of wedlock. You never find out if she ends up caring for the baby or just stays angry. These are really two minor gripes and do not take away from the overall quality of the movie.
If Beale Street Could Talk is a beautiful movie that will break your heart and make you fall in love multiple times throughout. The score is fantastic and each scene is absolutely stunning. I highly recommend everyone goes to see this movie. If Beale Street Could Talk is one of those rare movies that isn't just a movie, but a beautiful piece of art.
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