I have a certain fondness for movies or TV series set in San Francisco, not only because I grew up in the East Bay and so was able to visit the city often, but because it’s not Los Angeles or New York City. In any case the place makes an ideal setting for this quiet and thoughtful little love story that played on maybe 10 screens during its run.
It follows two African-American twenty-somethings (Tracey Heggins and stand-up comedian and Daily Show “reporter” Wyatt Cenac) in the city by the Bay as they spend the day after a drunken one-night stand biking around and getting to know each other.
I would mostly agree with other reviews that the film is sort of an African-American version of Before Sunrise or Before Sunset, those Richard Linklater yak-a-thons in which Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy walked around Europe while discussing philosophy and literature and such.
But Medicine is less about those things than it is about the romantic relationship Cenac, who has definite opinions about modern-day African-Americans and the compromises they’ve made, tries desperately to establish with the beautiful Heggins, whose character is married to a white man we never see.
The San Francisco setting lends it all a nice vibe, the performances are nicely low-key and natural, and writer/director Barry Jenkins uses the digital video format to good effect, like when Cenac and Heggins are both riding their bikes at one point. For some reason, though, he bleeds most of the color out of the film.
I want to say the relationship here feels real, but I’m really the wrong person to ask about such things. The same goes for the development of the characters. But I can say with some certainty that the movie makes for an interesting visit to an infinitely interesting city. – [DVD]
Drama/Romance
Not Rated
DVD Release Date: 10/27/09