Medicine For Melancholy DVD

San Francisco is the setting for potential romance in this low-budget romance. Though Jo' (Tracey Heggins) and Micah (Wyatt Cenac) wake up next to one another, they have no idea what brought them to that point. MEDICINE FOR MELANCHOLY follows the pair as they travel through the California city, exploring the streets as well as the possibility of a deeper connection with one another.

The premise of MEDICINE FOR MELANCHOLY seems simple enough: a man and woman wake up together after a night of drinking, neither knowing the other’s name. Introductions are finally made, and the could-be couple spends the day traversing the city of San Francisco by foot, bike, and taxi. But first-time feature director Barry Jenkins takes this basic idea and builds, making a thoughtful, stylish film that feels at once entirely natural and well-crafted. THE DAILY SHOW’s Wyatt Cenac stars as Mycah, a black hipster, whose manner is laidback except when he is talking about matters of race. Newcomer Tracey Heggins is Jo, a black woman with a post-racial mindset who is all angles and resistance to Mycah’s charms. Their day functions as a first date, beginning with plenty of awkward silences and building to conversations about race, class, and relationships. MEDICINE FOR MELANCHOLY avoid the pitfalls of most indie, dialogue-based films and boasts a high level of style. Jenkins and his director of photography, James Laxton, have made a feature with gorgeous cinematography and a nice post-production use of desaturation, which gives the film a muted look. The high quality of the film continues with the cast. Heggins is strong as Jo, and her chemistry with Cenac deserves praise. Though Cenac is best known to date for his work as a comedian, he’s equally adept with both the comic and the dramatic moments in the film. Like BEFORE SUNRISE transplanted to aught-era San Francisco and given a political bent, MEDICINE FOR MELANCHOLY is an authentic picture of two strangers struggling to see if they can be something more.

Medicine For Melancholy Reviews:

3.5 stars out of 4 -- "The actors are effortlessly engaging....MEDICINE FOR MELANCHOLY is a first, but very assured, feature by Barry Jenkins, who has the confidence to know the precise notes he wants to strike."-- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

"[A] small, incisive film....The tricky questions that govern MEDICINE FOR MELANCHOLY are how, why and to what extent race should matter in relationships between black men and women."-- A. O. Scott, New York Times

This is the only Wyatt Cenac video. Stars also making their debut in this video: Tracey Heggins, Barry Jenkins.

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