Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Medicine for Melancholy Blu-ray Movie Review

"I hate this city, but I love this city..."

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown December 9, 2023

Most films end the night before Medicine for Melancholy begins. Wyatt Cenac's Micah wakes up in his meager apartment the morning after hooking up with Tracey Heggins' Jo. So launches an aptly melancholic relationship that could just as easily fall apart as grow into something special. Micah and Jo soon discover they aren't entirely compatible and the emotional hills and valleys they traverse as they walk from San Francisco location to location is as real as anything you'll find on screen this year. It doesn't always make for an entertaining or enjoyable trek. It's a hard journey from one-night-stand to relationship and an even harder journey from Medicine's start to its finish. It's a heavy flick and it made me incredibly sad on a profound level. And I'm not entirely sure it deserves all the credit for having doing so. But it is an intensely realistic, thought-provoking drama that asks questions about connection, friendship and contentment you may not be prepared or eager to answer.

Criterion synopsis: Barry Jenkins’s captivating debut feature, Medicine for Melancholy, is a lo-fi romance that unfolds against the backdrop of a rapidly gentrifying San Francisco. There, a one-night stand between two young bohemians, Micah (Wyatt Cenac) and Jo’ (Tracey Heggins), spins off into a woozy daylong affair marked by moments of tenderness, friction, joy, and intellectual sparring as they explore their relationships to each other, the city, and their own Blackness. Shooting on desaturated video, Jenkins crafts an intimate exploration of alienation and connection graced with the evocative visual palette and empathetic emotional charge that have come to define his work.

Everything I previously knew about Cenac was from his brief stints on The Daily Show. I thought he was a bad actor and an awkward comedian. I didn't get it was all a part of his style. And so when I came to Medicine for Melancholy I wasn't expecting much. Scratch that. I was expecting very little, as in a performance that barely registered as a performance. Imagine my surprise when Cenac proved to be a fine and gifted actor, with a knack for quiet reflection, somber but subtle expression work, and natural line delivery. And that's with director Barry Jenkins's feature debut, still eight years away from his 2016 Best Picture win for Moonlight. Heggins was even more unfamiliar to me than Cenac, and what a revelation she shows herself to be. It's a shame she never found the right projects after Medicine and has slipped into relative obscurity. Her take on Jo is powerful and unpredictable. She shifts from one mood to the next, not because Jenkins or Heggins is giving us a flat, stereotypical female lead, but because she is struggling so much with what her night with Micah means. Is she still attracted to him? Does he offer the things she needs? Is she settling? Are their worlds too far apart to build a worthwhile relationship? Micah and Jo don't always voice these things but it's etched all over their faces, and it's that feeling -- the feeling that you can read each of the characters' thoughts, the things that are going unsaid -- that demonstrates just how effectively and masterfully Cenac and Heggins are making the couple's actions and reactions seem so spontaneous and organic.

Unfortunately, beyond the central will-they-or-won't-they-make-it relational tug of war, Medicine for Melancholy struggles to craft a story that engages for the film's full runtime. There are moments where I found myself wishing Micah and Jo would part ways and get on with their lives, if only so I could be free of their pushing and pulling. Still other moments left me desperate to see them hold onto one another, spotting the qualities that would serve as a strong foundation, if only they could let go of their hang-ups and see each other for who they really are. Instead, Medicine for Melancholy takes both its medicinal metaphor and its melancholy too literally; flopping between ebbs and flows in love between two people that are too wrapped up in their own depressive states to process their lives in a healthy, mature fashion. I don't fault Jenkins' direction in any way -- its exceptional and confident in its every move -- but his writing lacks the clarity and depth of his later films. Hardly an issue with an up and comer but Melancholy is that movie that is, in retrospect, more of a building block than a masterpiece. This is Jenkins on his way toward something more potent and resonant, rather than a Jenkins in complete control of his craft. It's especially apparent as the story begins to waft toward its conclusion. Vague, surrealistic imagery, silent glances between Micah and Jo, clinging and longing shot in extreme close-up, an emotionally vivid series of visuals that are contextually empty and confusing. It's a strange way to end such a grounded film, and yet the credits roll, with no sense of what, if anything, it was all meant to mean.

Medicine for Melancholy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Blu-ray release of Medicine for Melancholy features a faithful-to-its-source 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer, created from a new high definition master approved by director Barry Jenkins and cinematographer James Laxton. The film was originally shot in a lower definition using a Panasonic AG-HVX200 digital camera and the resulting image will disappoint more than a passing few. Softness, blocking, bright edge halos, stair- stepping, frequent black crush and other issues appear throughout the presentation, and you could easily mistake the image for that of an upscaled DVD. But when it comes to evaluating such a presentation, it's crucial to note this is how the film is intended to look. It can't look any better. And filmmaker intent is king in these matters. On to the particulars. Colors are almost entirely desaturated, save the faintest reds and darkest browns, which tend to appear as heathered pinks and yellowed grays accordingly. Contrast is strong and often overly hot, searing white and black levels to extremes. Detail is decidedly hit or miss, and typically miss. Tight, static shots offer the most in the way of relatively well-resolved textures. But typically fine detail is lost and washed away by the film's chosen photography. It effectively creates a low-rent, average-joe appearance that suits the tone and themes of the feature, and so makes sense by story's end. All told, this is Medicine for Melancholy. Take it or leave it. Just don't accuse Criterion of shoddy work.

Medicine for Melancholy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Much the same can be said of Medicine for Melancholy's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, although it could feasibly receive some improvement were the filmmakers to bring it more in line with modern sound design. Voices are clear and distinct (despite being beholden to the volume of city street ambience), effects are fairly engaging (with reasonably convincing directionality) and prioritization is decent, minus moments when the hum of traffic, the whir of a carnival ride or taxi interior noise invades and overlaps conversation. Rear speaker activity is terrific, though, creating a populated, thriving, lived-in San Francisco, even if the soundfield sometimes gets a tad flat or overly front-heavy. Low-end output is somewhat weak, which disappoints, but otherwise there aren't any major issues.

Medicine for Melancholy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• New Audio Commentary - Director Barry Jenkins offers a fond retrospective commentary on the film, largely avoiding repeat material from the second commentary on the disc (originally recorded in 2008). His new track is a more comprehensive detailing of the film's impact, resonance and themes, and easily the one I preferred.

• 2008 Audio Commentary - Jenkins is joined by producers Justin Barber and Cherie Saulter, as well as editor Nat Sanders, for a green around the gills overview of the production, performances, filmmaking techniques and more.

• Making Of (HD) - A newly produced behind-the-scenes retrospective.

• Test Footage and Blooper Reel (SD) - Quick fun that ditches the melancholy and serves up more medicine.

• Theatrical Trailer

• Criterion Booklet - Featuring AV remaster details and an essay by critic Danielle Amir Jackson.

Medicine for Melancholy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Medicine for Melancholy hit me right in the feels. I needed a comedy palette cleanser in its aftermath, just to lift me out of a bizarre sadness that settled in as the credits rolled. Still, I have to separate my substantial emotional reaction simply because I'm not sure Jenkins' film had earned it. It's a good movie, with two excellent leading performances. But the story isn't exactly the stuff of unforgettable drama. Criterion's Blu-ray release makes it all worth revisiting a second time, though, thanks to a faithful remaster and video presentation, a solid lossless audio track, and a selection of extras, including a newly produced retrospective featurette and freshly recorded audio commentary.