Inside KAZOO's Wardrobe (43) My “If Beale Street Could Talk" Interview with Director Barry Jenkins – NHK E-Tele "SNS Eigojutsu" (aired 2019/02/28)

1.Barry Jenkins Profile

Jared eberhardt from Los Angeles, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Barry Jenkins is an American movie director, producer, and screenwriter. He made his feature-length debut in 2008 with Medicine for Melancholy, which was well-reviewed on the festival circuit. After writing a couple of scripts that ended up not going into production, he worked as a carpenter and also co-founded an advertising company that produced commercials and branded content. In 2016, he won the Academy Award for best picture with Moonlight, his first feature-length film in 8 years. Jenkins is known for a colorful, surreal visual style that draws viewers into the emotional reality of themes like black identity, black masculinity, and the prejudices of the justice system.

2.Barry Jenkins Filmography

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Medicine for Melancholy (2008)
Set in San Francisco, California, this film follows “the day after” for two black characters that have just had a one-night stand. Over the course of the day the two discuss the state of race relations, black identity, and gentrification in San Francisco against the backdrop of the predominantly white hipster scene.

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Moonlight (2016)
This is the coming-of-age tale of a shy black boy living with his drug-addicted single mother in the slums of Miami, Florida. Bullied at school and abused at home, the protagonist struggles with self-hate and shame as he navigates the pressures of black masculinity and comes to terms with his sexuality.

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If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
This romantic drama is based on a novel of the same name by American novelist James Baldwin, who explored themes like racial discrimination, sexuality, and the black identity in mid-20th century America. A young couple around their twenties, head-over-heels for each other and on the cusp of moving in together, face racial discrimination and an unfair justice system along with the support of their families.

3.Black necktie by United Arrows

BigBrother lent me this black solid tie from United Arrows. The quality silk is given a lustrous texture with a basket weave. This is a bold tie, with a powerful, sturdy, three-dimensional presence even in the most simple of knots. The idea was to look like a journalist at the top of their game who is not easily fazed or intimidated.