(3.5 / 4)
Barry Jenkins has followed up his 2016 masterpiece ‘Moonlight’ with the same artful poetry. Through its accomplished blend of moving musical score, striking cinematography, and impeccable ensemble acting, ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ captures all the sincerity of falling in love. It is impossible not to get swept away by this bittersweet poem about the power of optimism and community in an impossibly unjust environment.
Director Barry Jenkins returns to the big screen with his first film since his 2016 best-picture winning masterpiece Moonlight. While that coming of age drama revolving around the lifelong quest for identity was so powerful in part due to its exploration of sexuality in the context of the urban working class, its biggest strength was in the deeply personal poetic nature by which the film was told. In his follow up, Jenkins has adapted the 1970s novel If Beale Street Could Talk from influential social critic and novelist James Baldwin. It comes as no surprise to learn that the screenplay was written during the same time that Moonlight was written as Jenkins has created another mesmerizingly emotional tale of romance and sincerity.