ABOUT THE MOVIE:
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.
LISTEN HERE:
There’s just not much we don’t like about Barry Jenkins’ adaptation of James Baldwins’ novel IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK. It’s a layered, lush, beautiful depiction of black love that really touched us all. But if you know the Spoilers you know we are always going to have something contentious to talk about. This episode is no exception. We spend a lot of time talking about Tish, about the depiction of Christianity, about the lack of Oscar love for this movie. Along the way, Todd mansplains and Anita interrupts — and then something falls off the table. Chaos reigns! But it’s all good. We think you’re going to love this thoughtful and lively episode.
RESOURCE LIST:
- The Red Record by Ida B. Wells
- Michelle Alexander at St. Thomas
- If Beale Street Could Talk, It Would Say Women Matter Too by Mary Frances Phillips
WHAT ELSE THE SPOILERS ARE READING:
- All You Can Ever Know: A Memoir by Nicole Chung
- Dog Eat Dog by Niq Mhlongo
- The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
- Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi
