The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019)
Directed by Joe Talbot
Jimmie Fails dreams of reclaiming the Victorian home his grandfather built in the heart of San Francisco. Joined on his quest by his best friend Mont, Jimmie searches for belonging in a rapidly changing city that seems to have left them behind.
2 connections found
View:
2 connections, in both directions
What critics compared The Last Black Man in San Francisco to
Like the Moonlight helmer’s films, Talbot’s camera lingers on his character’s faces for long, dialogueless takes in The Last Black Man in San Francisco , as if looking for their soul.
Rivaling the likes of Barry Jenkins and his remarkable filmmaking in Moonlight , The Last Black Man in San Francisco displays a confidence of perspective and an inventiveness in storytelling that, once it’s done breaking your heart, will only leave you wanting more.
The way Talbot blends haunting imagery with a mournful score (by Emile Mosseri) is dreamlike, recalling the work of “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins.
The Last Black Man in San Francisco has the same generosity of spirit and tenderness that Barry Jenkins brought to the Oscar-winning Moonlight .
But the films that Last Black Man recalled for me were those of Barry Jenkins, who tackled themes of black extinction in San Francisco in his first film, Medicine for Melancholy , more than 10 years ago—and whose languid romances ( Moonlight , If Beale Street Could Talk ) reach their wrenching intensity in part through intimate close-ups of actors looking just shy of straight into the camera.
The result is a stirring companion piece to Damien Chazelle’s recent “First Man,” and one no less worth seeing on the big screen when Neon releases it in theaters worldwide.