Georgia B Page - If Beale Street Could Talk

 If Beale Street Could Talk, released in 2018, is an American romance drama film based on James Baldwin's novel of the same name that follows the lives of two young lovers, Tish and Fonny. After growing up together and later falling in love, Tish and Fonny must navigate the complexities of being young and Black in Harlem, where Fonny eventually is arrested for the alleged rape of a woman, and Tish is pregnant. This beautifully shot film highlights the persistence of Black joy, while also giving a narrative to the long history of the false imprisonment of Black men and violence against Black women, bringing light to Black Americans' struggles in everyday life. 

Tish and Fonny walk down the street, running errands together and enjoying their night

Tish and Fonny are approached by an officer after he sees Fonny through a man harassing Tish to the ground.

Significance: If Beale Street Could is made significant by its depiction of Black joy and love, which is something that is not often the focus of films about Black life. It addresses directly the predatory nature of racism by showing how Black life is disrupted and destroyed by white violence and shows how government systems give white violence systemic power and legitimacy. The film is also impactful through its depiction of healthy relationships within Black families, which is wildly underrepresented in media that focuses on Black life and community, working against the paradigm that Black families are inherently broken, violent, or altogether nonexistent. The location of the film further bolsters the significance of the film, as it is set in Harlem, New York - scenes of Black life and joy are at times interlaced with stark archival imagery of white policemen brutalizing Black Americans on the street, which contextualizes Harlem as a historical site of Black life in a somber recognition of racial violence. More often than not, Black folks are misrepresented in popular media and are painted as loud, criminal, ignorant, and hypersexual, and If Beale Street Could Talk is a direct reaction to this, showing the complexity of life and love experienced by Black people, and seeing what it would say to us if Beale Street really could talk. 

Discussion Questions

1. If Beale Street Could Talk is told through the eyes of Tish as opposed to Fonny. How do you think the film and its significance may be different if it were told from someone else's perspective?
2. After discussing the ending of the film, do you think that it is a satisfying one? Do you think that a story like this can ever have a satisfying ending? How does this add to the significance of the film and the story it tells?