This film has lingered on the periphery of my day today, trailing behind me like a shadow. I’ll turn around and abruptly notice it there, indistinct but indisputable. This is just such a beautiful piece of filmmaking, based on a great novel by an iconic author, James Baldwin. For director Barry Jenkins, this is a perfect followup to Moonlight.
It has this mix of biting criticism and heart-rending sorrow that really draws you in and makes you care not only about the characters, but about the situation they’re stuck in. Jenkins has developed a knack for the head on portrait shot, where the characters look straight into the camera. It sometimes feels like their piercing eyes are hitting your soul and opening you up to things you don’t fully understand. There’s this psychology experiment where you stare into a stranger’s eyes for 4 minutes. And it’s supposed to boost your empathy for those that are different than you. That’s kind of what watching Beale Street is like.
I’m not done processing this movie, so I don’t feel like I’m even fully capable of analyzing it critically. It’s still so emotionally raw in my mind. I’ll probably need to see it again.
No, I’ll definitely need to see it again.