Let me start by saying black storytelling is important. Not storytelling but BLACK STORYTELLING. I cannot express how important it is to see ourselves represented in media (shoutout Miles Morales) and what it does for our mental health. To be able to pick out movies that portray different versions of black strength, black love, black pain, black leadership, black triumph, is a beautiful thing. To see movies where we aren't slaves or caricatures of ourselves is always plus, let me tell ya. Aite, let's get into the movie (without spoilers hopefully).
The first thing that struck me was the cinematography. If you don't know, cinematography is the basically the art of recording light on film stock. It always astounds me when films take the time to properly light and invest in quality editing to film black people the right way.
The main characters, 19-year-old Tish and 22-year-old Fonny are filmed in such a way that their skin looks vibrant and electric. It's crazy. Not to mention the costume designers dressed the cast so well, they had no choice but to snap on camera.
Now that I've complimented technical details, Iet's get into the plot. Fonny and Tish are childhood friends who fall in love with each other over time but then their dreams of growing old together are knocked the fuck astray when Fonny is arrested for sexually assaulting a Puerto Rican woman (who he doesn't know or live near but you know...) and arrested. The movie is told in present tense and in flashbacks as it follows Tish as she tries desperately to get Fonny out of jail because...YOU GUESSED IT, SHE'S PREGNANT. One thing I love about the film is the earnestness of Tish. The film definitely starts you off at the precipice of happiness in Tish and Fonny's relationship and then with every obstacle thrown at them, you become attached and root for them more and more. I came in the movie theater expecting for the romance to be heavy but my God by the time I left all I could do was go home and ask the universe where is my soulmate? (It really doesn't fwm like that CLEARLY). I mean look at them?!
One aspect of the film that made me tear up was Tish's relationship with her family. I'm trying so hard not to spoil the movie but there are multiple scenes with Tish and her family that made me tear up because it reminded me of my relationship with my family. There's a scene in the movie where Tish & Fonny's families get into a confrontation and Tish's older sister, Ernestine, warns Fonny sister to lay a finger on Tish. LOOK, IF THAT'S NOT ME I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT IS. I will fight all day with my sister but please don't touch her. Please. THEN, add the fact that Tish's sister told her to lift her head up high when she speaks. PLEASE. He got his script from me.
And then...the two scenes with her parents. Tish was laying in bed having a nightmare and her mother, played by the only Regina that matters (Regina King STUPID), comes in to comfort her. She said a lot of things a moms say to their daughters BUT when she told her "You not by yourself out here," I could of fainted. That's literally me. Anxiety makes you feel like you're disconnected from everyone. I heard my mom so clearly in that moment. My mom been telling me to breathe and that I'm not alone my whole life.
Then there's another scene with Tish and her dad....Tish just finished throwing up and she goes in the kitchen to get water. She sits down next to her dad who is also at the kitchen table and long sentence short, she lays on her dad and cries and he holds her hand and lets her do that. Y'ALL...I can't tell you how many times my dad has looked at me or gave me a hug or answered the phone and I've burst into tears sobbing. That scene will hit any person who LOVES their father, man or woman.
The last thing I want to touch on is the movie score. If you know me then you know it's all about the music because music is a powerful thing. If you don't know what a movie score is, it's basically original music made for film reel. So you can imagine...if your score is fucking wack then your movie will suffer, period. So I'm obsessed with this score. It's absolutely stunning. I listen to it at work, I listen to it on the train, I listen to it in the shower, BITCH I HUM IT. It did nothing but further prove to me that this is a movie worth buying on BLU-THE -FUCK-RAY.
If I haven't convinced you to see it then a, you don't have any taste and you must be one of them Aquaman ass people or b, you probably don't know how to read. That's a personal problem. I cannot recommend this film enough. Go see it please or illegally stream it on your Amazon Fire TV Stick. Thank you James Baldwin for creating these characters and thank you Barry Jenkins for creating a wonderful film. You 2 for 2 now because I still watch Moonlight! ESKETITTTTT.
Comments