"If Beale Street Could Talk is such an intimate movie, I felt like a voyeur watching it. Everything about the movie is soft — the characters, the voices, and the devastation it brings you. I got so lost in the sheer beauty of the clothing, the people, and the visceral love between KiKi Layne and Stephan James's Tish and Fonny, that when the harsh reality of their situation would come back into focus, I found myself crushed under how helpless they felt. Barry Jenkins and co. have woven such a rich world that it's impossible not to find yourself drawn into every word uttered, every soul-piercing gaze exchanged. The attention to detail is obvious, from the way streetlights illuminate the dark streets of the city to the lush colours of Puerto Rico.
One scene that gets me every time I think about it is between Layne, James, and Brian Tyree Henry. Henry's portrayal of a man fresh from prison is at once joyful and bleak, his description of the treatment he suffered at the hands of his jailers terrifying in how easily it's imagined. Everything and everyone in this film is quietly beautiful and heartbreaking in the best way." — Mekishana Pierre, Assistant Entertainment Editor