If Beale Street Could Talk
Barry Jenkins has not so much adapted James Baldwin’s 1974 novel...as expanded it, in ways only the most accomplished filmmakers can achieve.
If Beale Street Could Talk
Set in early-1970s Harlem, If Beale Street Could Talk is a timeless and moving love story of both a couple's unbreakable bond and the African-American family's empowering embrace, as told through the eyes of 19-year-old Tish Rivers (screen newcomer KiKi Layne). A daughter and wife-to-be, Tish vividly recalls the passion, respect and trust that have connected her and her artist fiancé Alonzo Hunt, who goes by the nickname Fonny (Stephan James). Friends since childhood, the devoted couple dream of a future together but their plans are derailed when Fonny is arrested for a crime he did not commit. Through the unique intimacy and power of cinema, If Beale Street Could Talk honors the author's prescient words and imagery, charting the emotional currents navigated in an unforgiving and racially biased world as the filmmaker poetically crosses time frames to show how love and humanity endure.
Runtime
120
Language
English
Director
Barry Jenkins
Writer(s)
Barry Jenkins (screenplay),
James Baldwin (novel)
Cast
Regina King
Awards:
Nominee, Best Supporting Female, Spirit Awards
Nominee, Best Feature, Spirit Awards
Nominee, Best Director, Spirit Awards
Nominee, Best Picture - Drama, Golden Globes
Winner, Best Supporting Actress, Golden Globes
Nominee, Best Screenplay, Golden Globes
Nominee, Best Adapted Screenplay, Writers Guild of America
Winner, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Academy Awards
Nominee, Best Music (Original Score), Academy Awards
Nominee, Best Adapted Screenplay, Academy Awards
MOREFEATURED REVIEW
Ty Burr, Boston Globe
“If Beale Street Could Talk” carves a holy place in a hard, hard world. The achievement of Barry Jenkins’s film, based on James Baldwin’s 1974 novel about a young black couple in early-’70s New York, is that it enshrines two lovers in the strength of their love while holding out hope — visually ...
Played at
Lumiere Music Hall 12.21.18 - 1.03.19
NoHo 7 1.04.19 - 2.12.19
Glendale 1.11.19 - 1.31.19
Playhouse 7 1.11.19 - 2.21.19
Claremont 5 1.11.19 - 1.31.19
Monica Film Center 1.11.19 - 2.07.19
Town Center 5 2.01.19 - 2.14.19
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