6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Twenty-four hours in the tentative relationship of two young San Franciscans also dealing with the conundrum of being a minority in a rapidly gentrifying city.
Starring: Wyatt Cenac, Tracey HegginsDrama | 100% |
Romance | 28% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
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.
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.
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 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.
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