Just as 2018’s ‘Blindspotting’ addressed the shifting cultural landscape happening in Oakland, “The Last Black Man” does the same for San Francisco. We are shown, with startling imagery, a place where tech start-ups, and hipsters are moving in, while long-time residents are essentially being pushed out. The movie doesn’t mosey around this theme either, it shouts it loudly. It literally opens with a man atop his makeshift pulpit preaching to anyone who will listen about how toxic the air is, how poisonous the water is, how black people helped build the city, and so forth…It’s a hyperbolic rant, but the underlying message about gentrification holds some truth.
Now, that’s not to say the movie is overly preachy. It actually has a pretty light, almost whimsical, tone to it. The story focuses on two young black men, Jimmie, and Montgomery. We first see them traversing to an old Victorian-style house, looking it up and down, checking to see if anyone is home. In any other movie you’d think they were casing the joint out, but this is no robbery. Jimmie is there to touch up the paint on the window sill, to tend to the garden, to make sure the house is all in proper order…all without the homeowner’s permission, and much to their disgust.
As the story goes, Jimmie’s grandfather built the house, and even though Jimmie has no sort of ownership to it now, he still feels a duty to make sure it has proper upkeep. His passion for this house is what has defined who he is, it’s what gives his life purpose. In some regards, it’s his way of holding on to the past, and to the legacy of his family, who are all but fragmented in present time.
Identity is a major theme throughout the film. Jimmie tries to present himself as a non-offensive black man to his white neighbor, putting on his best “white voice” and ensuring him that he’ll be the best neighbor he’s ever had. Montgomery, an eccentric amateur playwright, on the other hand struggles with his blackness. He sees the thugs on the corner acting hard, and talking shit, and tries and fails to mimic their language in front of a mirror. Even through these personal struggles, the two friends display a bond that is sometimes shaken, but can clearly never be broken. They make for an odd pairing, one being from the “street”, the other more “cultured”, but somehow it works.
The story is actually semi-autobiographical, having been written by Jimmie Fails, who essentially plays himself. It’s his feature film debut, but you’d never know it. His acting is superb, and natural. So too was the performance by Jonathan Majors, who plays Montgomery. The film also has a solid supporting cast including Danny Glover, Rob Morgan, and Mike Epps.
The first thing I noticed when I saw the trailer was how beautifully filmed it was, and that holds true for the entire movie. There are some gorgeous, if not haunting, compositions of San Francisco in this, and the interiors are wonderfully lit as well. The soundtrack for this is also an excellent work of art in its own right The sometimes somber, sometimes upbeat tracks fit the mood of the film like a glove, and gave me goosebumps throughout my viewing.
I could write a lot more about this movie, so suffice to say, I loved it. It’s poetic cinema at its best. It has a fascinating premise, told with surprising splashes of humor, and two great performances from the lead actors. Perhaps I’m biased due to the fact that some of what’s happening to San Francisco has been happening to my neighborhood in Brooklyn, but I do believe the themes of love and loss, of coming to terms with who you are, are universal to us all.
The Last Black Man in San Francisco is currently streaming on Amazon Prime, and is also available on Blu-ray, DVD, and a Collector’s Edition 4K directly from A24 Films.
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