Medicine for the Melancholy is an anomaly…I don’t know if that’s a good thing.

Medicine for the Melancholy is a film that was written & directed by Barry Jenkins.

It was released in 2008 & was his feature directorial debut…aka his first full length film.

It stars Wyatt Cenac & (you may remember him from The Daily Show) & Tracey Heggins (IMDB states that this was just her second film, but The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn was probably her biggest.)

Okay, so here’s why Medicine for the Melancholy is an anomaly. Barry Jenkins basically wrote & directed a “Black” film & then made you forget that you were watching a “Black” film by simply changing the music.

He also edited the film visually, by giving it a monochromatic tone.

Everything looks over-saturated & washed out, but it matches the tone of the film.

Even with that…it would’ve been irrelevant had he not made the genius decision to do something different with the background music & soundtrack.

We all know that it’s human nature to judge humans.

You can ask Google or ChatGPT the question “Is it human nature to judge humans?” for an in-depth & concise answer.

I said that to say…when you see a Black man & woman leading a movie, you’re probably thinking that this is going to be a Black movie.

But when the background music drops & it’s punk rock, soft rock, alternative/indie rock, hell just rock, rock…all of a sudden, it’s not that simple.

The subject matter is undoubtedly…Black.

They speak about interracial relationships, gentrification & Blackness in general.

But because the background music isn’t the stereotypical music for a Black film…you’re somehow hypnotized into paying attention to what they’re saying & doing in a way that you probably wouldn’t have before.

Had the music been the same old, same old…it would’ve felt familiar, but nothing about this movie felt familiar…it was very unfamiliar.

He found a way to make viewers pay attention to what’s going on in the film.

He’s controlling the flow, tempo & vibe.

He’s making you listen first & look second.

He’s making you not be dismissive to what looks like a Black film.

I watched & listened to this movie differently than other movies.

This is the first time that I’ve ever seen a film with Black people in it. Touched on Black issues…but you can’t call it a Black film.

Even though it’s literally a Black film.

It’s pure genius.