Barry Jenkins has unveiled the first look at what is set to be an intense movie. ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ will be a film that is adapted from the classic James Baldwin book and the trailer itself was released today, in what would have been the author and political critics 94th birthday.
While the trailer doesn’t give too much insight as to what this will be about but if you’ve read the book you will know. Regardless, Variety news broke down the plot details:
“If Beale Street Could Talk” follows a pregnant woman from Harlem named Tish (Kiki Layne), whose lover (Stephan James) is falsely accused of rape. When Tish finds out she is pregnant while James’ character Fonny is in prison, she races against the clock with help from her family and her lawyer to find evidence to exonerate Fonny.
“There are days when you wonder what your role is in this country, and what your future is in it,” a voiceover by Baldwin says in the trailer. “The things that tormented me the most were the very things that connected me to all the people who were alive.”
Jenkins broke out onto the Hollywood scene after his production ‘Moonlight’ dominated the Academy Awards just a couple of years ago. Now, he’s looking to take on another book which will take us to a much darker time in American history. The film will debut at the Toronto International Film Festival this September but is also set to have a theatrical release in the U.S and Canada November 30th.