A24 has released the official trailer for “The Last Black Man in San Francisco,” Winner of the Sundance Best Director and Special Jury Awards.
Written and directed by Joe Talbot, the drama film stars Jimmie Fails as himself, Jonathan Majors, Danny Glover, Rob Morgan, Tichina Arnold, Thora Birch, Mike Epps, Finn Wittrock. Based on the real-life story of Fails, The Last Black Man in San Francisco follows the protagonist as he tries to reclaim the Victorian home his grandfather built in 1946 in the heart of San Francisco, which is also the house he grew up in but is now owned by a white couple. According to the official synopsis, Kimmie – joined on his quest by his best friend – “searches for belonging in a rapidly changing city that seems to have left them behind”.
“We built these ships. Dredged these canals. In the San Francisco they never knew existed. This is our home. You two… stick together,” Glover’s character, Grandpa Allen, tells Jimmie and his best friend, Montgomery (Majors), as the trailer begins. Viewers are then given a glimpse into the lives of the two friends as they make their weekly pilgrimage across San Francisco to Jimmie’s dream home, sneak in, care for it and imagine what life would be like if this neighborhood had never changed. The trailer also features some of the critics reviews, which have been positive upon the film’s debut, at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, on January 26. The first one belongs to Rolling Stone’s David Fear, who stated “You can tell his movie is special within its first five minutes”. “Heart-skippingly gorgeous and axultant,” The New York Times’ review reads, while The Guardian’s Benjamin Lee described the movie as “A heartfelt tribute to both a city and a friendship”.
One of the songs featured in the trailer is a man’s rendition of Scott McKenzie’s iconic single “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)”. The singer’s 1967 version has been called “the unofficial anthem of the counterculture movement of the 1960s, including the Hippie, Anti-Vietnam War and Flower power movements.
The Last Black Man in San Francisco is scheduled to open in theaters this summer, on June 14.
