The Last Black Man in San Francisco Review: A Love Letter to the City
Mont and Jimmie get lost in thought while waiting for the bus (left to right: Jonathan Majors and Jimmie Fails)
Joe Talbot creates waves with his debut film…
The Last Black Man in San Francisco acts as a love letter to the city, while also showcasing the detrimental effect gentrification can have on a historically charged city and the people who’ve helped build it.
Jimmie spends his nights with his best friend, Montgomery, a talented and eccentric playwright/artist, crashing on Mont’s cramped bedroom floor. while working in elderly care during the day. At any and every other point, Jimmie is unwelcomely maintaining the beautiful Fillmore Street home he once grew up in, now owned by an older caucasian couple. However, due to the exponential cost of living in SF, the home is later left completely empty, and in disrepair. Jimmie then takes it upon himself to “squat” in this house with Mont, while attempting to turn it into the home he’d always wanted to return to. With Jimmie’s previous stints of living out of his car, and a year spent in a group home, this was well inside his wheelhouse. While attempting to restore the unrestorable, Jimmie and Mont find themselves witnessing the complete gentrification of the city they once loved. As old historical buildings transform into high-rise, even higher rent apartments, they chase a dream that was never meant to be.
We’ve seen this type of film time and time again, right? Wrong. This is not your run-of-the-mill “give us our culture back” type of film. Instead, The Last Black Man in San Francisco feels almost as if it is a period piece. From the beautifully static cinematography, to the timeless string-based score, this film is unlike any other. It carries a feeling of thoughtful meditation, and is no way an attack on the senses. Don’t misinterpret the meditative pace for an uplifting film However. The Last Black Man maintains the morbid themes of losing your only sense of home, and longing for a sense of security that only a mother can provide, and still coming up short. Whether it be the powerhouse acting that Fails, Majors, and the entire cast bring to the table, or the beautifully prolonged, and sun flooded shots, this film will make the hair on your arms stiff.
*If you’re a fan of skateboarding, you’ll be able to pick up on Andy Roy and Daewon Song’s cameo*
Watch Trailer Here
Overall: 49/50 (98%)
Cinematography: 10/10
Acting: 9.5/10
Score: 10/10
Directing: 9.5/10
Dialogue: 10/10
CAST:
Jimmie Fails - Jimmie Fails
Jonathan Majors - Montgomery Allen
Danny Glover - Grandpa Allen
Tichina Arnold - Wanda Fails