After a meeting goes poorly, she cries and curses at having potentially botched the conversation that could have lead to a break in the case.Jenkins' camera zooms in on Sharon's hands clenched on a photo of Tish and Fonny, holding it slightly above her bowed head like an appeal to a higher power for help.īarry Jenkins is an avowed fan of Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai, naming movies like Chunking Express and In the Mood for Love among his favorites. Some of her most moving scenes have no words. King gives a powerful performance as Tish's determined mother who's trying to do everything to protect her child's chance at love and justice. Jenkins lavishes close-up after close-up on their young, hopeful faces, capturing each sly smile and direct glance. Layne and James' chemistry is sweet and believable, playing the parts of lifelong friends who committed to one another. In the movie, Jenkins enhances the subtleties of his actors' performances, growing small personal moments into epics. Her mother Sharon (Regina King) defends her daughter against criticism and steps in to help her future son-in-law's case. It begins to feel uncomfortable to be so close to this much pain, but Jenkins' camera is steady – and so is Tish's resolve to fight for her love. Those gorgeous, longing stares at the beginning of the film grow resentful, hurt and frightened as the months wear on. Pop Culture Happy Hour NPR's Movie Preview: 15 New Films To Watch - And Watch Out For - This Fall They are the least of Tish's worries, however, as now she must figure out how to make ends meet as an unwed pregnant 19-year-old separated from her partner by prison bars and thick glass. Although Fonny's father and Tish's family toast to the new generation, Fonny's deeply devout Christian mother and sisters receive the news less excitedly. Not long after Fonny goes to jail, Tish reveals that she is pregnant with his child. The bliss of their budding romance will be put on hold when Fonny is accused of raping a Puerto Rican woman, Victoria Rogers (Emily Rios), by a racist white police officer (Ed Skrein). Those stares will change over the course of Barry Jenkins' adaptation of Baldwin's novel about love, family, New York City and racism. Not the problems that are about to come their way, the tragedy or heartaches that will soon eclipse their young lives. They are looking into each other so deeply that nothing else exists. The details of this outdoor world soon melt away, leaving only close-ups of the actors' faces. Their clothes are coordinated in yellow and navy as if they belong to one another. Tish (KiKi Layne) and Fonny (Stephan James) walk along the edge of a New York City park, with greenery on one side and highways and cityscape on the other. If Beale Street Could Talk opens with a quote from James Baldwin and a slow, sweeping violin score that will be heard many more times. Shining Like Moonlight: Tish (KiKi Layne) and Fonny (Stephan James) share a fleeting moment in Barry Jenkins' If Beale Street Could Talk.
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