Don't @ Me with Justin Simien
The Auteur Barry Jenkins
Barry Jenkins gained worldwide recognition with Moonlight, his film about the life of Chiron, a young black man in Florida struggling with his sexuality and a drug-addicted mom. Also of course, the whole Oscars catastrophe.
By Justin Simien • • 45m ListenJustin has admired Barry Jenkins since his 2008 film Medicine for Melancholy, a quiet romance set in San Francisco, produced long before Barry gained worldwide recognition and landed the Academy Award for Best Picture. In Moonlight, we see three glimpses in the life of Chiron, a young black man in Florida struggling with his sexuality and a drug-addicted mom.
Moonlight has changed the course of Barry’s career. He discusses his upcoming adaptation of the James Baldwin novel, If Beale Street Could Talk, and so much more. Like how his social media inboxes are full of overly enthusiastic solicitations from fans, how he stays fresh and inspired, and the surprising truth that he doesn’t think much of himself. Plus, Justin’s experience of watching Barry’s directorial style in action on the set of Dear White People, and Barry’s experience of Justin breathing down his neck.
Finally, a lightning round of Don’t @ Me, with Barry’s pick for best movie ever made, and the film that critics and audiences liked but Barry hated.
