Indie Gems: The Last Black Man in San Francisco

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This is my city.

Jimmie Fails (his actual name) dreams of returning to his old home, a house his grandfather built in San Francisco. His city has become gentrified and expensive and he and many others were forced to move further away. When the current owner has a dispute, he and his from Mont (Jonathan Majors) move in.

Watching this film is like watching a poem. It's beautiful, free flowing and poignant at times. Nearly everything shot here is framed with love an admiration. When Jimmie and Mont face hardships, they're empathetic. Never overly angry or harsh. It's quite extraordinary to see.

Falls and Majors are both outstanding and if there was any justice in the world, they'd be talked about in the Oscar race to come. But after all the buzz this had coming off Sundance this year, it was given an earlier release and is now out on DVD. I hope it can still get some awards love. 

There are parts where the film drags, but the relationship between our two leads makes up for it. They're so loving and supportive of each other. I'm reminded of Booksmart in the way where I just really enjoyed the friendship of the two leads, even though our friends here are polar opposites of those girls. 

Recommended: Yes

Grade: A-

Memorable Quote: "You don't get to hate it unless you love it." - Jimmie (Jimmie Fails)

Comments

  1. thevoid99October 1, 2019 at 1:02 PM

    This is a film that is on my watchlist as I've heard great things about this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamOctober 1, 2019 at 8:13 PM

      It's really beautiful. I hope you get the chance to see it.

      Delete
  2. SaraOctober 1, 2019 at 2:53 PM

    This sounds really interesting. Going to check and see if I can find a copy!

    ReplyDelete
  3. geektellerOctober 7, 2019 at 2:08 AM

    I remember discovering this on Katy's blog (ohsogeeky) and falling in love with it. I can't wait to watch it, I gotta make time for it soon :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. DanielNovember 11, 2019 at 8:42 AM

    YAY I'm SO GLAD you liked this! One of my favorite films of the year. I got to interview Jonathan Majors over the weekend for NBP and it was INCREDIBLE to hear about how they made this. It's just so beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamNovember 11, 2019 at 4:48 PM

      Whaaat?! That's so cool! I'm glad you liked this too. I wish it was getting more love.

      Delete

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