Quintessential Directors: Barry Jenkins
A brief look at two Barry Jenkins films that have established him as one of the greatest filmmakers of our time.

In Dublin, Blake Lester breaks Lucy Silchester's dream by preferring an overseas TV show career move over their marriage plans since years. Receiving a mystery letter 'from her life', Lucy seeks consolation with mates Adam, Melanie, Lisa and Jamie. Angrily Lucy meets critical sender Cosmo, who urges her to set priorities among colleagues, family, friends and truth to correct her derailed life, which she finds hard to disprove by showing happiness. Lying to boss Edna costs her job. Desperate hitting rock bottom, she attempt to win successful Blake back. Her protective brother, attorney Riley, and Cosmo rather favor attractive carpet cleaner and neighborhood urchins football 'coach' Don Lockwood, who consents, yet this fails as she retracts despite good sex while he works in her apartment. Sad news about her neighbor Claire, a breakup between workaholic father Samuel and 'neglected' mother-housewife Sheila make Lucy die reconsider her own priorities.
A brief look at two Barry Jenkins films that have established him as one of the greatest filmmakers of our time.
'También la Iluvia' exploits Indigenous peoples' fight against the privatization of water in order to tell a story about Spanish characters.
This film was filled with great plot points. Unfortunately, they all contradicted each other and clashed. Had the premise of Awake been more consistent and accurately portrayed the real world aspect, I think this could have been an extreme success.
'The Menu' has a strong story. The 5 acts, which are defined by the courses, are an excellent subversion of the classic 5-act film structure.
The film basically says she was a lost cause from the start. We don't get a sense of who Marilyn was.
"WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO SACRIFICE?!!!!" "EVERYTHING!!!!!" This is but one of a multitude of highly emphatic questions, and subsequent answers, being asked in the newest feature film from one of the current masters of horror, Jordan Peele ("Get Out", "Us" and "Nope"). I must give Peele credit in that he continues to push the boundaries of specific genres and their associated tropes in order to provide what ends up amounting to subtly then jarringly intense, yet still character and story-driven, cinema that speaks more to indie stylings than mainstream.