Medicine for Melancholy

Two people wake up in a stranger's house after a party and do not know each other's names. Jo wants to leave, Micah will not let it go. The next twenty-four hours pass on foot, by bike and by bus across San Francisco. The conversation keeps returning to one place: the Black share of the city's population is falling, and the two of them live that differently. The subject is not romance but identity built out of belonging somewhere. Micah keeps opening the question, Jo refuses to be closed inside a category; the film does not decide between them and leaves the argument unresolved. The form is built around the budget. The colour is almost entirely drained, the image close to black and white, with colour returning only at certain moments. Long walking sequences record the streets like documentary. It was shot for thirteen thousand dollars with a crew of five. It is Barry Jenkins's first feature and he could not make another for eight years; his second was Moonlight, which won the Oscar. Every choice here has since been read backwards through that. Wyatt Cenac and Tracey Heggins lead. Who it is for: viewers who like independent films built on conversation and portraits of cities. Who it is not for: anyone waiting for events; the film is two people walking.