What follows is a deep-dive into the trials and tribulations of Kiki Layne’s ill-fated protagonist. An ensuing outbreak with her mother-in-law (performed by a miraculous Aunjanue Ellis) sees the film at a notable highpoint, with Jenkins flexing a lot of thespian muscles that were rather absent in the more contemplative scene structures of MOONLIGHT. A deftly executed handbrake turn veers the film into the theatrical, with an outstanding sequence involving lead actress Kiki Layne telling her family about her pregnancy. What starts as a quietly formalist stroll through a park transitions into blunt-force, still-image expressionism reminiscent of Spike Lee’s best work. There is just as much Terrence Malick in here as there is Mike Nichols. Jenkins proves here that films don’t have to opt for being full-on stage plays or expressionistic tapestries. IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK is a radical change in the way filmmakers compose romantic melodramas. Turning the lens away from feuding bourgeois families to a rigged, oppressive system, Jenkins’ star-crossed lovers are separated not by caste, but by misfortune and systemic racism. It’s a storybook, an Old Hollywood melodrama repurposed for a far more complex ethnic backdrop. Barry Jenkins’ MOONLIGHT follow-up is as directorial as they come: a steadfast commitment to all things light, color, performance, and composition, not leaving anything to chance. A Douglas Sirk costume drama presented through the formal precisions of a Wong Kar-wai film.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |