When I first heard the hype around The Last Black Man In San Francisco, I wasn’t sure just how reliable it was. Between it being a summer release from indie darling studio A24 and Sundance festival hype, I tempered my expectations. I’m here to tell you that the hype is real. While not perfect, The Last Black Man In San Francisco has no business being as impressive of a directorial debut from Joe Talbot as it is.
It’s an emotional look at the ever-changing landscape of a city. In the film, Jimmie Fails IV (played by the impressive non-professional Jimmie Fails) aims to take back the stunning victorian home his grandfather built on an iconic San Francisco street. He loves the home so much, he goes to repaint the window frames while the house’s actual residents chastise him and throw produce at him to shoo him away.
By his side every step of the way is his best friend and aspiring playwright Montgomery Allen (played by Jonathan Majors, who is a revelation in this). When the residents move out, leaving the house empty, Jimmie and Montgomery take squatters’ rights and move in, even bringing in Jimmie’s grandfather’s original furniture.
One of the best films of the year so far, The Last Black Man In San Francisco is a poetic and powerful portrait of the city that serves as its canvas. While the meandering story revolves around Jimmie and the house, it’s really about the city that’s pushed them out. Jimmie and Mont both feel like characters out of days gone by in a city that no longer has a place for them. In fact, they don’t really know where they belong at all. It’s a meditative look at the power of hope and belief, even when the hope is blind.
Stuck in the past, waiting for a future that isn’t coming.
Jimmie tells the story to all who will hear it – his grandfather built the Victorian house in the 1940s. He paid attention to every little detail, from the scaled exterior and the witch’s hat to the organ. His grandfather, also named Jimmie Fails, was the first black man in San Francisco, leaving New Orleans to go west. When Asian-Americans were being rounded up to be sent to internment camps, he bought the land and built the house.
But that’s all gone now, all that remains is the house. A white, all-too-California couple now occupies it when we first see Jimmie Fails IV go visit. A group of white tourists stop at the house on Segways; it’s nothing more than a stop and look at history to them. A party bus passes by and chants; the naked man at the bus stop with Jimmie can only comment, “This f*cking city, huh?” Even when Jimmie and Mont move in and Jimmie introduces himself to his white neighbor, the neighbor is at a loss for words.
It’s all a picture of city that’s lost its romantic side and become gentrified. The family lost the house and was forced to move on long ago, but Jimmie’s obsession remains and romantic notions of his place in the city remain. It’s costing him his future and his happiness. He can’t have the house or the life it stands for – the city and the system won’t let him.
Throughout the film, we see Jimmie waiting for the bus, but the bus never comes. Instead, he skates. That’s exactly how it seems he’s living in his version of San Francisco – skating by, waiting for a bus that isn’t coming. He has to move on and let go. As he’s told, he has to “push beyond [his] box.” Just because he was born into the story of a family that lost their home, doesn’t mean he has to be stuck in that story.
Each shot is more beautiful than the one before
It would be remiss to write any review of The Last Black Man In San Francisco without recognizing the pure beauty in every frame. Natural light flows into each scene, bringing the rich colors of each set to life. The framing of each shot is simply magnificent and subtle camera movements make you feel like you’re living in a west coast James Baldwin novel.
Slow motion shots capture a city and a people in change and captures Jimmie and Mont as outsiders. White and Asian people stop to look at Jimmie skateboarding by, as if they’ve never seen a black man in the city before. A white construction worker stands between Jimmie and a piece of land in the city he aspires to call home. We often see Jimmie from the outside looking in, symbolic of his place in the city.
In one shot smoke echoes from a burned building adding a natural, but moving element showing the crumbled city he knew around Jimmie as he walks. The way each of these is captured drives home everything the film is about. It’s said too often, but it’s never been more appropriate – each shot of this film could be hung in a museum.
Rich lead performances
Jimmie Fails and Jonathan Majors deliver two lead performances that go all in. Fails feels so genuine and authentic in his love for the house and the city. It’s no surprise because he and Talbot met in public housing at a young age in San Francisco. They’d wander the streets and tell stories. Thankfully, it lead to this one. Fails is still able to bring a sense of wonder and astonishment to his character as if it’s his first time in the house.
Not to be overlooked, Majors does a truly remarkable job shaping the more emotional and artistic Mont. He feels like such a unique individual, but a real one. He’s a fiercely loyal friend to Jimmie and a sensitive, emotionally perceptive character. Hopefully, Majors isn’t overlooked come awards season, as his role is the best supporting performance so far this year.
The technicals cover up a story that wanders a bit
While the second act wanders and drifts a bit, it’s easy to forgive and move past. The film is so beautiful to look at and the score is so easy to get lost in that it almost doesn’t matter. Certain moments, scenes and dialogue feel extra to what’s needed in retrospect. By the time the third act comes around, none of that matters. You’re so invested and enamored with the world Talbot has created, you don’t want it to end. It’s to be expected from a debut, and minor when looking at the whole of the film.
The Last Black Man in San Francisco: A poetic and powerful story, not to be missed
The Last Black Man In San Francisco is a deeply moving film, and probably the best film with San Francisco as its backdrop. It features the poetic quality of Langston Hughes or James Baldwin, the stunning cinematography of a Barry Jenkins film, and the pure rousing power of Beasts Of The Southern Wild. It’s absolutely gorgeous, with a rousing score and moving performances that more than make up for a story that takes a few detours to get where it’s going. The Last Black Man In San Francisco lives up to the hype coming out of Sundance and is not to be missed.
Have you seen The Last Black Man In San Francisco? What did you think? What’s your favorite San Francisco film?
The Last Black Man In San Francisco hits theaters in select cities June 7 and expands June 14.
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