In a conversation late into Medicine for Melancholy, a character asks, “How do you define yourself?” It’s a question that many young adults think about during a time of rapid change and development. Is it through the hopes and dreams of a collective identity? Or is it more based on the individual qualities that make us unique? And is there a way to combine the two into a complete realization of the self?
The pair of protagonists in Barry Jenkins’ debut film provides a platform to examine this problem. While some may look back to indie dramas like Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise, where two strangers in their twenties spend a day together, growing close as their discussions become deeper and more intimate, Medicine for Melancholy makes a decision that sets itself apart – it removes the romance from its central relationship. Instead of sex being the end result, Jenkins begins the film the morning after a one-night stand, allowing room for the underlying issue of race and the quest for a sense of belonging to come to light.
Micah (Wyatt Cenac) and Jo (Tracey Heggins) wake up hungover in a large San Francisco apartment after a party hosted by a white friend. Here, the topic of gentrification has already been introduced, as the film later contrasts this spacious living area with Micah’s much smaller apartment that only fits a bed, a couple of bikes and an aquarium. Jo agrees to go to a café with Micah, but she tells him a fake name and gives terse responses to his questions. She hurriedly leaves without her wallet after they share a taxi, leaving Micah to track her down to return it. The pair eventually spend the day together, getting to know each other as they wander around the city and visit art museums, parks and dance clubs.
They get along at times, bonding over their shared interests in the indie scene (Jo wears a Barbara Loden shirt throughout the day while Micah frequently talks about indie rock music), but they also butt heads during discussions about race. Micah finds it difficult to reckon with his racial identity, appearing frustrated about being a Black man in a city that does its best to hinder him by implementing housing policies that contribute to the erasure of people of color. He tells Jo that the Black community in San Francisco is shrinking and only accounts for seven percent of its population, but she largely doesn’t validate his arguments, saying that his fixation on race is a problem and becoming angry when he drunkenly criticizes her for being in a relationship with a white man.
It gets to the point where it’s difficult to believe that Jo would stick around with Micah for the entire day. But despite their differences, she is drawn to him as they’re both Black folks operating in predominantly white spaces. Throughout her time with Micah, Jo is testing out a relationship with a Black man, almost pretending to be part of a couple in order to convince herself that it would be possible.
Another noteworthy aspect of the film is Jenkins and cinematographer James Laxton’s distinct visual style. Although it may look a world apart from the duo’s visual flourishes in Moonlight (2016) and If Beale Street Could Talk (2018), the desaturation is remarkable in its own way. The grayness represents the emotional detachment of Jo and Micah, but there are also signs of color when the pair are able to take their minds off their worries and enjoy themselves. And when Micah describes his love for his hometown, the film beautifully shows San Francisco from a hilltop in full color.
The theatrical release of Medicine for Melancholy in early 2009 came at a time when some believed the U.S. was entering a post-racial era with the election of a young Barack Obama. But the COVID-19 pandemic (which disproportionately impacted Black communities), George Floyd protests and the continued displacement of people of color have demonstrated that the country still has everything to do. But possibly what has slowly changed is the indie scene, which has begun to introduce more artists of color like Alabama Shakes and Thundercat as the community’s audience has become more diverse. Perhaps this is why the film was added to this month’s Criterion Collection as it’s arguably more pertinent now than ever. With Medicine for Melancholy, Jenkins elevates a standard indie romance with ideas of cultural identity, placing the story firmly in reality.
Photo Courtesy IFC Films
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