Sundance '19 : The Last Black Man in San Francisco

Jimmie Fails is a resident of San Francisco whose major mode of transportation is via skateboard.

Jimmie is not just any resident of the Bay Area, He’s a third generation San Franciscan, who has taken great pride in the beautiful Victorian home he was raised in and was built by his grandfather. When Dad loses his childhood home, Jimmie feels a responsibility to maintain its former glory much to the chagrin of its new owners – a middle class white family. Those scenes with him painting that red and gold trim while having groceries thrown at him are priceless.

That’s what you are led to believe and then you realize that this film is really about a young man struggling with the reality of being homeless and crashing on his friends floor. A reality that has been all too familiar since his days in foster care.

Written and starring Jimmie Fails, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, is a complex, yet all too real look at gentrification in America, homelessness, gang violence, family and just the difficulties of being a black man in America with dreams and hopes that get derailed due to no real fault of his own.

But, other than the intricate writing of Jimmie Fails, the real star of this film is Jonathan Majors. Coming right off of a nice co-starring role in the Matthew McConaughey flick White Boy Rick, Majors shows a completely different side of his acting arsenal that will have your jaw dropped and your hands applauding at the sheer brilliance of this young talent. The friendship between these two young men is gentle, heart-wrenching and touching as they both navigate dreams and desires that are not to come to fruition.

The Last Black Man in San Francisco was an unexpected reality check with heart and totally worth the ride.