The Last Black Man in San Francisco - Gentrification in the Limelight

Directed by Joe Talbot

Written by Joe Talbot, Jimmie Fails, and Rob Richert

Starring: Jimmie Fails, Jonathan Majors, and Danny Glover

Cinematography by Adam Newport-Berra

A24

The Last Black Man in San Francisco is about a predetermined Jimmie Fails who struggles to keep an old Victorian-style family home from growing old, and eventually being changed along with the rest of his neighborhood. After watching the film, I couldn't get it out of my head. Every single character and every frame--I couldn't stop thinking about it. Although the story centers around one specific location, it slowly begins to express itself as a figure for all of San Francisco and gentrification.

The theme of gentrification is narrowed down to not only the house itself, but the characters in the film. Early in the story, we are shown the different types of people who live in San Francisco, from high-class city folk to lower-class natives. In a 2014 study of super-gentrification in the Golden Gate City, the American Sociological Association (ASA) identifies how many wealthy business owners moved into Victorian-style homes just outside the city in the late 1990s to early 2000s. During the mid-19th century, Victorian style homes were created in the Bay area from major influences in Great Britain (Queen Anne as a reference). Later when The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake occurred, many of these homes were rebuilt by the civilians after the mass destruction the city faced. There's a personal connection that generations of San Francisco natives share with these neighborhoods.

In The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Jimmie and his best friend Montgomery remain the only two characters who are "classic", in a sense where they have aged but everyone else around them has remained "new". Jimmie's old school friend "Kofi" has created new friends around their old neighborhood, wearing stylish new clothes while communicating with a new and harsh tongue. Kofi even recognizes Jimmie's wardrobe and speech as being outdated. But as much hate Jimmie and Montgomery receive, they remain hopeful. Towards the end of the 2nd act of the film, Jimmie faces an unexpected tragedy that fully encapsulates what is happening in their own city. The natives are being forgotten as the new age of technology and culture take over instead.

Back to the family home, Jimmie reveals that his own grandfather built the home when he returned from WWII in the mid to late 1940s. Even with the current owners of the home, Jimmie intrudes onto their property by repainting the exteriors of the home to keep it how it was before.

Montgomery is the artist of the pair; he sketches his surroundings and is a playwright. A group of African American men stand outside his grandfather's house nearly everyday, throwing slang around their conversations constantly. Montgomery makes a note of the way they talk and would often mimic their speech. Much to his taste, he couldn't go along with it. He's too much of a classic person, that he cannot change as well. That is why Jimmie and Montgomery's characters play off each other so well. Both are prime examples of natives in a city who will never accept change for the worse. Something that personally affected me was when Jimmie saw how the group of men who stood outside Montgomery's grandfather's house were almost all gone after that unexpected tragedy hit, as if they were being forgotten.

A24

SPOILERS BELOW (skip to the last paragraph to avoid spoilers...if you want):

In the 3rd act of the film, Montgomery finally puts on his much anticipated play in Jimmie's family home titled "The Last Black Man in San Francisco," exactly like the title of film. Knowing that the title is more metaphorical than literal, made it as much more impactful. Montgomery then proceeds to reveal to Jimmie that the house wasn't actually built by his grandfather, but a lie that was made up years ago.

The lie is a great example of how many working or lower class natives feel in any city. Whether it be San Francisco or Los Angeles, the lie can be viewed as almost like a light that won't ever blow out. Families may face gentrification, but that hope of remaining in your own home, whether it be a tangible home or an abstract one, will keep natives going. Giving them a purpose to strive in a changing society. Towards the end of the film, Montgomery visits the now gentrified family home of Jimmie's. This makes the film come full circle when telling this story. When Jimmie lost the house, we also feel that we lost it with him.

NO MORE SPOILERS BELOW:

The Last Black Man in San Francisco is a film that made me take a step back and reevaluate how we should proceed as a nation, but more specifically as a city. Cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco contain thousands, even millions of households. But, to be identified as a "home" is a whole other side to the spectrum.

A24

Aside from the story, the cinematography is absolutely fantastic along with all the top-notch performances. I loved every single aspect of this film and it's my favorite film so far this year (maybe even one of my favorites this whole decade). I highly encourage those who are reading to watch this film in theaters. It's genuinely a great film and an important one at that. It's currently playing in select theaters in major cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. They might be expanding its release so I encourage you to go see it when it's screened at a theater near you.

Sources:

“Understanding Super-Gentrification in San Francisco.” Footnotes | April 2014 Issue | Looking Forward to the 2014 ASA Annual Meeting: Understanding Super-Gentrification in San Francisco, 2014, www.asanet.org/sites/default/files/savvy/footnotes/apr14/sanfran_0414.html.

“The Last Black Man in San Francisco.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 7 June 2019, www.imdb.com/title/tt4353250/?ref_=nv_sr_1%3Fref_.