User reviews

Based on James Baldwin's 1974 novel of the same name, If Beale Street Could Talk is really two stories in one; there's the love story at the narrative's core, giving the film much of its tonal qualities, and on the surface, there's a socio-political protest, which provides most of the main plot points. At a quick glance, this should be a masterpiece - there's the foundation of James Baldwin, arguably the most significant African-American author of all time, and this is the first English-language adaptation of one of his novels; there's writer/director Barry Jenkins, fresh off the Oscar-winning Moonlight (2016); there's a theme that is (sadly) almost as pertinent now as it was in 1974; there's James Laxton's extraordinarily vibrant cinematography; there's a bevvy of hugely talented actors; there's Nicholas Britell's absorbing and melancholy score. This should have been a home run. However, although I found it aesthetically faultless, much like Moonlight, I felt the totality was considerably less than the sum of its exceptional parts. The biggest problem is the somnolent love story. Employing a Terrence Malick-esque esoteric voiceover, Jenkins lifts entire passages directly from Baldwin. However, what reads beautifully in the novel is badly out of place in the film, even in voiceover, and has the effect of rendering the two central characters completely unrealistic, with their love for one another idealised to such an extent as to become ridiculous.

New York, 1974; 19-year old Clementine "Tish" Rivers (KiKi Layne) and 22-year old Alonzo "Fonny" Hunt (Stephan James), who have known one another since they were children, have fallen in love, and are planning to get married and raise a family. Fonny has quit his job working for a furniture manufacturer, hoping instead to make it as a sculptor. However, when he is accused of rape, the victim mistakenly identifies him in a line-up, and he is charged and detained. Awaiting his trial, Tish visits him in jail, telling him she is pregnant. Ecstatic at the news, Fonny says he can't be in prison when the baby is born, and so Tish and her family determine to do anything it takes to get him out as soon as possible. With this as the central framework, the story is told in a non-linear style, jumping back and forth from one time period to another, which has an important thematic effect that I'll discuss below.

Aesthetically, much like Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk looks amazing. From Laxton's vibrant cinematography to Caroline Eselin's colour coordinated costume design (just look at all the yellow in the opening scene - in both the photography and the wardrobe), everything we see rings true, like a Jack Garofalo photograph come to life. Even more visually lyrical than Moonlight, the saturated colour palette of Beale Street recalls Douglas Sirk's Technicolour-soaked melodramas. Jenkins has been very open about his admiration for filmmakers such as Sirk, Claire Denis, and Hsiao-Hsien Hou. However, he is most clearly indebted to Kar-Wai Wong; seen in Beale Street's non-linear narrative and relatively slight plot, its poetic tone, the centrality of music, and its tendency to use visuals rather than dialogue to convey thematic points (although Jenkins is nowhere near as formally experimental as Wong).

As in both Medicine for Melancholy (2008) and Moonlight, Jenkins occasionally has characters speak directly to camera. They're not breaking the fourth wall, however. Such scenes are dialogue scenes, with two characters speaking to one another, so when one speaks directly to camera, it's as if the camera is between the two of them. It's a technique that was used most famously (and effectively) in The Silence of the Lambs (1991), where each character looked directly into camera when speaking to Clarisse Starling (Jodie Foster), whereas she always looked just slightly off-camera, setting up a fascinating visual contrast which encourages us to identify with her. Beale Street doesn't do anything as interesting or subtle with the technique, but Jenkins's tendency to use it during moments of heightened emotion does have the effect of suturing the audience into the milieu of the film.

As mentioned above, the use of a non-linear narrative structure has an important thematic effect. We know from the second scene that Fonny is in jail, meaning that as we watch Tish and Fonny planning their future, renting an apartment, having sex for the first time etc, there's a permanent shadow over everything we see; we know that things go wrong, because we know much more than the characters do. For the most part, this contributes to the tone of the film, thus justifying itself. However, Jenkins overuses the technique. I understand why the film is told out of sequence, but I don't understand why it's told out of sequence to such an extent. Compare this with Sean Penn's The Pledge (2001). For the most part, it's a linear narrative, except that the first scene shows us the protagonist, Jerry Black (Jack Nicholson) as a broken-down alcoholic. The rest of the film takes place prior to this scene, so when we see Nicholson fall in love with Lori (Robin Wright) and spend a blissful Christmas with her and her daughter, we know that something terrible is coming, knowledge that casts a shadow over the entire film. Penn accomplishes this with a single scene, right at the start of the film. Beale Street, on the other hand, jumps all over the place, never settling into a standardised rhythm, with the cumulative effect becoming one of distraction rather than immersion.

Which brings me to the film's most significant problem - the love story at its centre just didn't work for me. This is partly because of the emotional distance Jenkins maintains, but it's primarily because Fonny and Tish don't seem like real people, not in the way they gaze into one another's eyes as if they are seeing each other for the first time, not in the way they speak to one another as if every syllable is of earth-shattering portentousness. They rarely speak normally; instead, they adopt the eloquence of James Baldwin. In lifting sections directly from the novel, Jenkins has failed to consider the differing demands of the medium - what works on the page, doesn't necessarily work on the screen, and the reproduction of Baldwin's rich and lugubrious prose is simply unrealistic, with the delivery sounding stilted and awkward, and, most egregiously, far beyond the lexicon of the characters. This is especially apparent in Tish, whose expressive voiceover is far beyond anything we see of her character in the film itself.

In this sense, they don't come across as people with their own interiority and psychological verisimilitude, instead functioning as cogs in the machinations of Jenkins's thematic concerns. Tish, in particular, feels like a cypher, because of her dual role as a young girl trying to get her man out of jail, and a sage-like observer of institutionalised racism. Fonny too has an important dual role - that of a young man falsely imprisoned, and that of a tragic figure standing in for the millions of African-Americans unjustly imprisoned throughout history. Jenkins doubles down on this point by intercutting the film with black-and-white photographs of Henry Smith, Jesse Washington, Will Brown, Emmett Till, and the Freedom Summer Murders. The point is clear; Fonny is a grand representative of the crimes committed against Africa-Americans in the US. However, his character never attains the kind of grandeur such a representative must, by definition, possess.

Another problem concerns the depiction of Bell (Ed Skrein), the racist cop who frames Fonny. Played as a leering pantomime villain, with bad hair, bad teeth, and bad skin, he's obviously a metaphor for the ugliness of racism, but he's so completely over the top, it rips you right out of the film. On the other hand, Regina King's portrayal of Tish's mother, Sharon, is exceptional. If you really want to see what an acting powerhouse King can be, she's never been better than she was in the second season of The Leftovers (2014), and she brings much of the silent depth with which she portrayed Erika Murphy in that show to Beale Street. The scene where she heads to Puerto Rico to try to persuade the rape victim, Victoria Rogers (Emily Rios), that Fonny didn't rape her is one of the most harrowing things you'll see on screen all year, with King conveying her emotional state primarily by her facial gestures.

Beale Street is an undeniably beautiful film that depicts the love between two astonishingly attractive people (it's worth noting that in the novel, Fonny's unattractiveness is emphasised). Jenkins's interpretation turns Fonny and Tish into a Ken and Barbie-esque couple, undermining Baldwin's depiction of them as existing in a realistic milieu. Taking a meditative approach to the material, Jenkins's adaptation never rings true. Whereas Baldwin's Tish and Fonny are flawed, contradictory, and relatable, Jenkins's protagonists are too-perfect-to-be-real, with every agonisingly serious pronouncement they make to one another pushing them further and further away from connecting with the audience on an emotional level.

I can't believe this was only on for two hours, I genuinely felt as if it had been on for over three, it feels incredibly long.

It's powerful story, but I felt that some of the bite of it doesn't quite cut through, because of the pacing. Every single scene feels so drawn out, I don't mean in an artistic way, I mean in terms of editing.

Regina King is tremendous, what a truly wonderful talent, truly does steal the show.

It looks amazing, and the music throughout is just incredible, I instantly had to visit many of the tracks used, this really showed what music can do in a movie.

Maybe on a different day I could have gotten into it better, I enjoyed it, just found it too slow. 6/10.

The acting was great, especially Regina King. She deserves every award she is nominated for in this pic. I heard so much about this film at TIFF and I was so looking forward to seeing it, but I didn't get around to it until December. The direction and pacing were almost too deliberate, to the point of distraction, and at times the camera work left me feeling motion sick. What it comes down to, though, is the ending. It felt unfinished and I walked away from the film feeling like the story hadn't been told. Too bad, really, because it was starting to look like a beautiful, if tragic, film.

This film is based on James Baldwin's novel of the same name. I read it at the time and was very moved. It told me so much I didn't know. But that was in 1974, and one has heard the same story over and over since then. Barry Jenkins is telling a period piece, a mood piece. It is brilliantly acted and gorgeously shot. The music is too loud, but maybe that is deliberately appropriate. The narrative moves very slowly, with the deceptive languor of the South. That might work if it were set in the South, but it's not; it's Harlem. It has the feel of 1974, and it certainly could be New York - or Philadelphia or Baltimore - or Chicago or Detroit (which was only beginning to disintegrate then). In short, it doesn't feel tethered. Memphis, it is not. The result is that, unlike Moonlight, which was very involving, this film is rather stereotypical. Again, that was new in 1974. But not now. Today, we see the same stories over and over on TV screens - some of which are sadly still all too true, and others which are probably ginned up and definitely exploitive. I kept looking at my watch and thinking, "will nothing ever happen?", and it didn't. In short, If Beale Street Could Talk does look impressive. (Jenkins' fans are already gushing. And I am one, but I'm not blown away.) Moonlight it is not.

Two years after sending shockwaves through the film world with "Moonlight," which went on to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, Barry Jenkins is back with "If Beale Street Could Talk." Needless to say, the film is excellent and is everything one could hope a follow-up to "Moonlight" would be. The film follows a young African-American couple in Harlem before and during when the man is wrongfully accused of sexual assault. While such difficult subject matter could feel slightly tone-deaf to some in the era of #MeToo, viewers should rest assured that Jenkins handles the material with a delicate and incredibly thoughtful sense of sensitivity. Like "Moonlight," the film's aesthetic qualities feel almost lyrical in tone, which is a beautiful sight to behold. The score is also superb as well, managing to be both quietly rousing and emotionally stirring.

Jenkins' technique of characterizing the setting or settings where his films are set is put to great use here. New York City feels almost like a character in this film, as it adds a rich tapestry to the film's narrative. This sense is heightened further when paired with a meticulous sound design, where even simple and day-to-day sounds like a subway car rolling into the station enhance the viewing experience. The acting is strong and quietly powerful from beginning to end, and the amount of thoughtful character development that Jenkins deploys throughout the story's narrative is commendable. The same can be said to the film's frequent use of narration. In many other films, this could have come off as annoying, but the film uses this tactic to great ends here by primarily using it to enhance the audience's emotional connection to the characters. Such a connection further builds up the powerful nature of the film's narrative, which makes a powerful and deeply tragic statement on the nature of racism without ever resorting to feeling heavy-handed by the end. I will note that the film does take some time to get going and has a few minor redundancies in its beginning scenes. But otherwise, this film is superb and on par with "Moonlight" in quality. Baldwin's prose is not just honored in this film, but it is cherished. 9/10

This movie was amazing! It was refreshing to see your true love story. I also love the way it told the story of a generation of lost men and shattered families at the hands of institutionalized racism. And how I generation of single mothers came to exist in America. Well written, well acted and beautifully shot.

If Beale Street Could Talk's screenplay lacks enough genuine conflict to keep it as engaging as it could be.

If Beale Street Could Talk is hands down one of the best movies of the year. Barry Jenkins again triumphs in truly showing, not simply telling, that blackness is beautiful and that black lives do matter.

Part of me understands the argument that this would have been best served as a theatrical production, as the dialogue feels as such at times. But then I come back to the fact that Jenkins is such an immersive director: intimate visual style, precise editing that enriches both the themes and intrigue of narrative, and his perfect use of music. The cinematic medium allows for the expressionistic strokes that elevates the story to such a powerful experience.

Final thought: I do not remember life before this Nicholas Britell score. I keep refreshing Spotify hoping for it to drop.

Well directed and acted. Pacing is very slow even by slow-burn standards. Not much payoff. Repetitive at times. Interesting topics brought up and explored. Good sense of details. Feels authentic and warm. Feels like a short story made into a feature film that could use a lot more trimming and material.

If Beale Street Could Talk - it just might ask why two surly looking white men chose to get up and walk out of the Screen Unseen cinema, just a few minutes after realising they were watching a film focusing on the appalling, bigoted, racist, treatment of young black men in 70's America?!!! Maybe they needed a popcorn type film? Who knows?

Anyway, the film follows the story of one particular couple, Fonny and Tish, whose close childhood friendship eventually flourished into an incredibly strong and binding love that goes on to withstand all the twisted injustices thrown their way by a corrupt, racist American 'justice' system.

Some might say it's not just a look back at recent history, but a sad reflection of some events becoming more prevalent once again in today's society, or that's never really gone away in some places.

Kiki Layne, playing Tish (who is stunning by the way), and Stephen James, playing Fonny, lead the cast with superb, believable, engaging performances, as you watch their love grow and strengthen.

The entire cast did themselves proud, with Teyonah Parris bringing much needed relief to break some of the tension as Tish's self-assured, witty, and supportive sister, and I barely recognised Ed Skrein as the vile Officer Bell, who's character epitomised the commonly practiced prejudices of that time.

It's a good film to watch, but not an easy one, as it's not a light popcorn entertainment movie, but a deep contemplative insight into the disgusting institutional treatment against a minority group.

Except for a few moments of artistic lingering, which I thought were a little self-indulgent and unnecessary, the filmography and directing was captivating, making you feel like you were there too; almost voyeuristic at times, albeit tastefully done.

If you want to walk out of a film smiling and joyous, perhaps this is not the film for you. Having said that to watch a friendship blossom into such a beautiful, faithful, unbreakable love, despite the adversities, makes it more than worthwhile.

Barry Jenkins follows up Moonlight with another impressionistic drama whose focus is firmly on mood over plot. Tish and Alonzo are young African Americans in Harlem, in the 1970s, and in love. This is the story of their relationship, and the challenges it faces during the era.

In terms of craft, If Beale Street Could Talk is a confident step forward for Jenkins. It's a rapturously beautiful film full of powerful images captured by a disembodied camera that floats, glides, and contemplates. Jenkins creates a potently intimate and romantic atmosphere around his two leads who together glow like a flame warding off the darkness of their time. The specifics of the narrative itself, which is admittedly somewhat lacking in depth, is really secondary to the mood. The power of the film lies in its style and Jenkins' keen ability to express emotion through his images. The music, picture, and editing routinely coalesce into a dreamlike and affecting whole greater than the sum of its parts.

Though as wonderful as the style is and as crucial as I see it to be for the film, it can occasionally become a tad overbearing. Jenkins is coming off of a Best Picture win for his sophomore film and enjoying the resulting budgetary benefits. It's only natural that he would revel in it a bit and the results are often ravishing, though sometimes at the expense of restraint. Some scenes can drag and come off as a bit too self-indulgent. And the central relationship, while undeniably tender and well-acted, edges slightly into over-idealization as we're shown scene after scene of swooning love declarations and longing gazes. This creates a syrupy quality that somewhat lessens the impact of the heavy social themes at the film's core.

The film ultimately succeeds, though, on the strength of its craft and powerful images. It's a film that clearly cares deeply about its characters and message which, sadly, remains startlingly relevant.

Solid 4/5

I thought there were some superfluous moments at the beginning...but it scaled through. Thank you Barry Jenkins. Beale Street did talk, yes it did.

I want to love this film and everything about it except, just about every scene is three times longer than it needs to be.

A sumptuously shot, delicately layered & beautifully composed symphony of love, hope, tragedy, sacrifice & communal bonding, If Beale Street Could Talk is a pure, poetic & passionate piece of work from Barry Jenkins that presents the filmmaker making terrific use of his skillset to deliver yet another emotionally resonant fable.

The story follows a young African-American woman whose life takes a tragic turn after her fiancé is wrongfully arrested for a crime he didn't commit. With the couple expecting their first child, she races against time to prove his innocence and seeks support from her family who help her throughout her pregnancy and with the case.

Fresh from his Academy Award-winning Moonlight, writer-director Barry Jenkins translates James Baldwin's novel on the film canvas with honesty & authenticity, thus making sure the story's essence remains in tact. Each scene is crafted with care & compassion, and the resulting imagery from that is rich in both colours & emotions.

From a technical standpoint, If Beale Street Could Talk is sophisticated filmmaking throughout. The images aren't just gorgeously rendered but are more than capable of narrating the entire story without any verbal exposition. The unhurried pacing is deliberate yet may not appease all while Nicholas Britell's stirring score is as fitting as it is emotionally evocative.

Coming to the performances, the film packs a reliable cast in Kiki Layne, Stephan James, Regina King, Colman Domingo, Brian Tyree Henry & Ed Skrein, and none of them falter in their respective roles. Layne & James play the young couple and share a heartfelt chemistry on screen. Skrein is easily detestable as the racist cop. And King leaves her own mark with a solid input.

On an overall scale, If Beale Street Could Talk is an amalgamation of polished direction, sincere writing, arresting photography, mesmerising score & committed performances that manages to be heartwarming & heartbreaking in equal doses, and finds Barry Jenkins channeling his creative energy to give expression to his African-American legacy through the eyes of a young couple, their families & their lives.

I have to say honestly that this was one of my most hyped films of 2018. The trailer for the film had such a beautiful score and wonderful imagery, you just knew that you would be in for something special. Moonlight is a very good film, although I wasn't as crazy about it as most people were. I am pleased with If Beale Street Could Talk, it may not be as high regarded as Moonlight was two years ago but there's no denying that Barry Jenkins has once again brought forth a beauty of a work.

The film is about a young Black woman who finds out she is expecting a child. The main issue is that her lover has been imprisoned for a crime that he most likely did not commit. She (played by a wonderful KiKi Layne) must deal with telling her family and his as well as preparing for motherhood without the touch or presence of her mother. The film also explores the Black community in New York and the troubles faced, which still resonate today. The film also stars Stephan James, Colman Domingo, and a very excellent Regina King.

As with Moonlight, the film has such a wonderful score and absolutely beautiful imagery. The film employs the same personal profile shots of its characters with faces that tell an expressive story. Same with the slow panning between characters and profound dialogue. The film feels like a work of art, and Jenkins and his crew have perfected their storytelling as a form of art. The performances all around are great but I have to single out Regina King for having the best role of her career. She should surely be getting an academy nod for Best Supporting Actress.

I liked this film better than Moonlight and just felt like it met its expectations. It tells a very important story with problems that are still faced today, much like with Moonlight. To me, this just felt like an experience from beginning to end. Barry Jenkins is quickly showing himself off as a storytelling extraordinaire through his very artistic portrayal of his characters, story, and images. Go and see this film.

7.5/10

This film is paced just as it should be. This pace is the only way to tell the story. To know James Baldwin you would know this is his pace. Very deep story of the treatment of Blacks in America, sadly because of racism. I was born in 1959. In 1974, I was 14 years old. I was aware of racism and the civil rights movement and the Black Panther movement. Blacks did not get a fair shake and even today we are not treated fairly. A good movie more of a non-fiction story rather than fiction. Thank you James Baldwin for your story and thank you Mr. Jenkins for telling Baldwin's story so well.

I am a huge James Baldwin fan. The books that is. My suggestion is to stop making movies of them and push the books. This is another talky representation with excess verbiage and endless scenes. While there is some interesting dialogue and a couple of decent performances, it never clicked with me. The year of the black director and performer at the Academy Awards presented some decent stuff. This one really fells short.

So beautiful, i am speechless. Slow paced showing every emotion.

Although Barry Jenkins' previous film 'Moonlight' caused upset when it won the Best Picture Oscar and gets a good deal of hate still, to me it was very well made, very well acted and very powerful while suffering from a rushed final act and an anti-climactic ending. So hearing that Jenkins had made another film on a heavy, still relevant and brave subject matter and with a good cast, that will touch a raw nerve with many, immediately got me interested, the critical acclaim also adding further to the interest.

'If Beale Street Could Talk' is not one of those films that will compel, or emotionally connect with, everybody and it is not hard to see why. It is also not hard to see why people will find a lot of value here. While there is a lot to admire, part of me was disappointed watching 'If Beale Street Could Talk' and that full potential was not realised. What worked so well in the source material does not come off completely successfully here. If asked which is the better film between 'Moonlight' and this, because 'Moonlight' was clearer narratively and was more involving that would be my choice.

There are a lot of things done very well here in 'If Beale Street Could Talk'. It is a real beauty visually, some truly arresting and quite gorgeous cinematography throughout. Cinematography that adds hugely and even enhances the atmosphere, while not swamping the drama. Nicholas Britell's music score underscores every emotion with haunting resonance and in my mind it was not that intrusive. Jenkins' direction is faultless visually and the best scenes dramatically pack a punch.

Despite being a long way from perfect on a narrative level, there are a number of powerful and touching moments and the family showdown particularly is a masterpiece of layered emotions and character interaction. The script can be thoughtful and poetic, the relationship between Fonny and Tish is full of raw passion and heart and the tensions have genuine intensity. While KiKi Layne and Stephan James give movingly sincere performances, Regina King's powerful supporting turn makes the most impression.

On the other hand, can totally see where people are coming from when they criticise the pace. There are scenes that go on far longer than they needed to which really made the momentum sag, while some of the final act is rushed and the ending anti-climactic (like 'Moonlight'). 'If Beale Street Could Talk' does suffer too from too much tell and not enough show, the film didn't need voice over used as much as it was and in a way that tended to ramble and over-explain.

Ed Skrein for my liking also badly overplays a very caricaturish stereotype that is also greatly exaggerated in the writing.

Concluding, a lot of impressive things but didn't completely connect with me. Was torn between giving it a 6 or a 7, decided to go with a small 7/10 due to feeling in a generous mood

This film adaptation of James Baldwin's novel about a young black couple in New York City in the mid-20th century is a revelation. It brings to life a story of hope and tragedy in an era that feels both distant and yet not all that different from the present day.

Barry Jenkins shows his master craft in depicting two young people who come from starkly different families, one very religious and the other of a more free-wheeling working class mentality, who find love and companionship with one another. Early on, the young woman discovers she is pregnant with the young man's child. Their lives take a dramatic turn when he is accused of rape.

The film veers from one mood to another, from hope to angst to despair and back again. An incredibly potent soundtrack makes quiet, normal conversations seem pulsatingly tense and seething with emotion. Performances here are extraordinary, especially by Kiki Layne and Stephan James as the young couple.

Not many films offer the kind of evocative, old school storytelling that is at work here. Quiet and deliberate but never less than compelling, this film leaves a mark. Grandly recommended.

Barry Jenkins brings the same dreamy, ethereal style he used so effectively in "Moonlight" to this screen adaptation of the James Baldwin novel, but this time around it feels ill matched to the material.

Baldwin was poetic, but he was also angry, and rightly so. "If Beale Street Could Talk" does a good job of showing how the things whites in America can take for granted -- falling in love, getting married, having children, building a life together with the person of your choice -- are a series of trials for blacks. Nothing but a bunch of road blocks stand in the way of the young couple at the center of the movie and their happiness. But what I missed from Jenkins' version of this story is the anger that such a state of affairs existed then and still exists now. "Beale Street" should have a sense of immediacy in our current times, but it instead feels overshadowed to me by other films this year like "BlackkKlansman" and "Sorry to Bother You," films that ask its audience to stand up and take notice. "Beale Stree," in its slowness and pursuit of formal perfection, asks its audience to take a snooze.

KiKi Layne, who plays the young pregnant woman at the film's center, was I think a big part of the problem. She doesn't give a strong performance, and so this young girl who was supposed to come across as innocent but strong, comes across instead as somewhat vapid. Much better performances come from the actors who play her parents, Regina King and Colman Domingo, and the only time the movie really sparks is when one of those two is on screen. Sparks really fly in the scene when they announce their daughter's pregnancy to her boyfriend's family, but that scene is so overdone, and the characters of the boyfriend's mom and sisters played so exaggeratedly, that it comes across as ludicrous instead of powerful. At other times, Jenkins greatly underplays it, to the point where you want to prod him and ask him to pick up the pace a little. It's a very uneven movie, and I had a lot of trouble losing myself in the world it creates even though I really wanted to.

Grade: B

Another way too overrated snail paced Barry Jenkins film.

Every now and then a film comes along that gets a ridiculous amount of award nominations, primarily only due to its message - and that's it, just like Barry Jenkins' Moonlight. This is another one of those films, again, by Barry Jenkins.

Sure it was perfectly cast and acted, but it was too slow and didn't really have anything exciting to offer except for a story that's been told before - only a little fancier and a lot longer and slower. This seems to be Barry Jenkins pattern, and although some people don't mind long lengths of boredom, I can't stand it. Especially when the ending is anti-climatic and underwhelming.

The cinematography was great, but the 119 min length felt like 3+ hours, especially when almost every scene was 2-10x longer than it should have been. This film should have been cut/edited down to a 1 hour TV movie.

Not a bad story, but not great either. It's way too overrated. Note to self: no more slow burn overrated Barry Jenkins films. It's only a 4/10 from me.