Our take
Barry Jenkins’ follow up to his award-winning film Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk is a highly compelling tale that explores the extent of the emotional consequences of racial injustices through the lens of a young couple torn apart by the judicial system. Staying faithful to James Baldwin’s original novel while adopting Jenkins’ signature melancholic style, it fails to reach the brilliance of Moonlight, but still stands strong enough on its own and successfully tugs on your heartstrings.
What it won
Oscars
1 win · 2 noms
Golden Globes
1 win · 2 noms
BAFTA
2 noms
Spirit Awards
3 wins
WGA
1 nom
Nat. Board of Review
3 wins
NYFCC
1 win
LAFCA
2 wins · 1 nom
The story
After her fiance is falsely imprisoned, a pregnant African-American woman sets out to clear his name and prove his innocence.
Elsewhere
"Jenkins has cemented his status as a very big deal."
— Tayler Montague
"Jenkins's film is a compendium of marvellous moments, lovingly observed vignettes of black working-class life, but the unvarying tempo with which they are laid out for the viewer eventually creates a certain monotony"
— Nick Pinkerton
The details
Who picked it
Diego Andaluz is a freelance film critic, journalist, and podcaster based in New York, serving as Awards Editor at DiscussingFilm and Editor-in-Chief of The Global Film Show. His commentary has been featured in AwardsWatch, The Film Stage, Deadline, IndieWire, People, and Mashable.
