Medicine for Melancholy
“Part mood piece, part awkward love story, and part sociological exposé, San Francisco writer-director Barry Jenkins’ debut feature is some kind of wonderful. This is the rare film that is as thoughtful as it is sensual, as attuned to personal epiphanies as it is to social injustice. ”
-Michael Fox, SF Weekly
“In the face of an impending cultural extinction and the potential loss of SF’s soul, this excellent movie is part of a necessary discussion.”
-D. Scot Miller, San Francisco Bay Guardian
About the Film
Medicine for Melancholy is a love story about a one-night stand told through two African American twenty-somethings dealing with issues of class, identity, and the evolving conundrum of being a minority in rapidly gentrifying San Francisco – a city with the smallest proportional black population of any other major American City. When Micah (Wyatt Cenac) and Jo’ (Tracey Heggins) stumble into the brightness of a sunny San Francisco day after a hook-up, Jo’ can’t wait to escape the uncomfortable silence, but a shared cab ride and a lost wallet soon bring a well intentioned Micah to her front door. As caution turns to curiosity, the young couple sets off on a romantic ramble through eclectic neighborhoods and their own lives as they swap views on everything from the meaning of blackness to letting go of heartbreak.
Filmed entirely in San Francisco, Medicine for Melancholy stars Wyatt Cenac as Micah and Tracey Heggins as Jo’. Cenac is an accomplished writer and actor whose credits include the classic television comedy series King of the Hill. Currently, he appears as a correspondent on Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show. Heggins has appeared in several television shows and series throughout her acting career and Medicine for Melancholy marks her first leading role in a feature film.
Medicine for Melancholy runs at Landmark Theatre’s Embarcadero Center Cinema from Fri, Mar 6, 2009 – Sat, Mar 21, 2009.
Starts Friday, March 13 at Landmark Theatre’s Shattuck Cinemas.
CLICK HERE to visit Landmark Theatre’s Official Website.
CLICK HERE to visit Medicine for Melancholy’s Official Website.
Filed under: African Diaspora, Culture, Film, Premieres
