If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)

This was a lovely, devastating film. Tish (the brilliant Kiki Layne) and Alonzo "Fonny" (Stephan James) are very much in love, though their families don't like each other much. But their idealistic romance is shot to hell when Fonny is accused of rape, despite having an alibi.
Ironically, it is Tish's family who carries the fight, with Tish's mother, Sharon (the great Regina King) is the one who goes down to Puerto Rico to confront the woman who picked Fonny out of a line-up, Victoria Rogers (Friday Night Light's Emily Rios) even though she likely doesn't know who exactly harmed her.
The film flows well, despite the jumbled timeline, but the performances are great, each actor delivering a pitch performance and the plot has no room for holes, even the one I had for about half the film is solved, the cop who claimed he saw Fonny running from the crime scene had previously nearly arrested Fonny for punching a man who was stalking Tish, and was likely out for blood.
There are some odd scenes, like Fonny's super religious mother, Alice (Aunjanue Ellis) cursing Tish for having an illegitimate child and hoping it shrivels up in Tish's womb and one of Fonny's jail scenes, when he declares that he is coming home. I thought he was going to commit suicide, without having the chance to clear his name, but he survives, and as the trial keeps getting postponed, he takes a plea deal. But he still seems to be a good guy, managing to smile at Tish and their son when they go to visit him in prison, still praying before the snack meal.
All-in-all, the film is well put together, with Barry Jenkins at the held, the film is lyrical and nearly heavenly, with some brilliant cinematography and score. And you feel as though you're back in the 1970s, which is never to accomplish.
While this film is another sad look on how America has failed its African American population, the film is nevertheless worth watching, knowing that there is hope and love will always lead you home. As Sharon states, love has brought you here thus far so you just need to continue to trust it (more or less). Life would be a lot better, if we could just trust love. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Though I liked Tish, my favorite character was probably her older sister, Earnestine (Teyonah Parris).
-Pay attention to some great actors in cameos, Dave Franco, Diego Luna, Pedro Pascal, Finn Wittrock (the lawyer) and Bryan Tyree Henry. 
-I can't figure out how Fonny's parents are still married when she's very religious and he's more chill.
-Apparently, Tish and Fonny's respective fathers never got caught for their crimes of theft.