Medicine for Melancholy

Tuesday September 9

Micah spends a sunny weekend day trying to convince Jo, the woman he woke up beside after a house party the night before, that they are meant to be together. The two wander through different areas of San Francisco while Micah alternates between two distinct moods. Most of the time he is sweet, funny and endearing but he has periods filled with anger and frustration where he rails against the city, interracial relationships and his experience as a black man in San Francisco. Jo spends the day stating that their relationship will only ever be a one night stand yet we get the feeling that she is uncertain at times.

This is a terrific movie. It is certainly the best film I saw at TIFF this year. The shots of the characters and the city are interesting and beautiful and I loved the soundtrack. I have only been to San Francisco once but the movie reminded me much I liked the city. The performances of the two leads were very strong. Wyatt Cenac's performance allowed me to forget that I see him several times a week as one of the funny new additions to the Daily Show. I only saw Micah.

The only complaint I have with the movie is that hand held camera films sometimes make me feel nauseous. The frenetic dance club scene certainly did the trick, making my stomach crazy swirly. This is just a personal tick though, not a fault of the movie at all.

Highly recommended. It is only a shame that all future audiences will not have the benefit of hearing the director, Barry Jenkins, speak and answer questions after the movie. At the screening I attended the director shared several amusing tales filming and of the people that filled the background roles in the film - local taco vendors and the directors fellow Banana Republic staff members.

You can watch a trailer at the film's website: http://www.strikeanywherefilms.com/