The Days Before MOONLIGHT: A Dip Into Barry Jenkins’ Vimeo

Shot into the spotlight with the whirlwind Academy Award win for Moonlight, director Barry Jenkins has recently become a household name in the world of film. Set to write screenplay based on the life of boxer Claressa Shields and direct a series based on the bestseller The Underground Railroad, Jenkins is undeniably on track to become a filmmaker to look out for this year.

While headlines are currently raving about what’s next for his filmmaking and his guest directed epsiode of the Netflix hit Dear White People, most have missed the gold mine of Jenkins’ seven year old Vimeo account, already freely available online.

Why do we care about filmmakers’ first films?

Short films dug up from the early days of bigshot directors are nothing new and many have often made their way online, from Wes Anderson’s Bottle Rocket to the first few shorts of Beasts of the Southern Wild director Benh Zeitan. Early filmography before a career-jumpstarting smash hit is sometimes disappointingly lacking, but Barry Jenkins’ Vimeo is packed with his trademark reflective sensitivity, and is much more than a training ground for Moonlight.

My Josephine (2003)

https://vimeo.com/7456450

Barry Jenkins’ current pinned tweet on Twitter, and his earliest upload, is the film school short My Josephine, a post-9/11 piece which follows the slow-burn story of two late night laundry service workers washing American flags as part of a free service. In the description box, Barry Jenkins himself describes it as “[s]till my favorite”, “[i]nspired by three things: the marquee of a Tallahassee laundromat shortly after 9/11 reading “American Flags Cleaned Free,” an image in my head of two people sitting atop folding tables, and my housemate at the time being obsessed with Napoleon.”

Already partnered with lifelong and Moonlight cinematographer James Laxton, the visuals of My Josephine show off a sophisticated, dreamlike quality, perfectly capturing the residents of a country sleepwalking after a national blow. Nothing is outwardly the matter, but tension develops as two Arab-speaking employees wash the grime off other people’s dirty laundry.

Informed largely by the poetic Arabic monologue of narrator (helpfully subtitled in English), we don’t find out much, if anything, about the object of his affection, Adela. Characterisation is half-baked, perhaps stylistically and intentionally, but the fact little is learnt about the central characters in this ten minute video feels unsatisfying.

Sometimes dogged by the self-conscious shot changes of student film, the usual no-gos of student film aren’t always pitfalls: there are interesting “point of view” shots from the perspective of objects, which is usually a number one on “Do Not” lists with advice for first time filmmakers. Technically and as experimentation, My Josephine is a very sound debut, and although not quite a wonder child, it is still a worthy watch with undeniable rawness and originality.

A Young Couple (2009)

https://vimeo.com/7457122

With a very artsy origin story, the video bio for A Young Couple records how this film was made for a friend who, for her 30^th birthday, “rented a space and, rather than receive “gifts”, decided to put on a show comprised entirely of things created by her friends”. And so, “in the time it takes a San Francisco meter to expire”, this little biopic was made.

Shooting every nook and cranny of couple John and Jenny’s shared apartment, this short explores how the couple first met each other, have since stayed together and manage to live together now. Vintage-inspired cinematography echoes back the couple’s own hipster style, and the short is intercut with charming collages of the couple’s own polaroid pictures and professional stills taken by photographer David Bornfriend. A Young Couple feels like a curated scrapbook, and a flick through the highlight reel of two people’s lives as both recollect memorable moments in the mundanity of their daily living space.

Already, Barry Jenkins seems aware that the most telling moments come from quiet, wordless looks. Body language speaks volumes, as do their inadvertent reactions to what the other says, and the film really gains from letting the camera roll that little bit longer. Jenkins’ gently guiding questions don’t grill his interviewees, but instead comfortably encourage in order to slowly uncover the quirks and oddities of this relationship.

Nothing about this film feels like a constant effort to wring particular emotions out of an audience, and this is an overarching theme of Barry Jenkins’ films: there is always a freedom to think and feel, and nothing to signpost an audience’s experience. The fact A Young Couple is gentle does not make it mild, and the slow pacing makes for sitting in both comfortable and slightly uncomfortable moments, which makes for a bumpy but engaging ride.

Team Robot Cheatah on Media

Barry Jenkins’ Vimeo account also has something for the very young filmmakers of the future. Team Robot Cheatah On Media is a recorded Q&A with the man himself starring, as he answers questions pitched from primary school kids as part of a class project.

Smartened up in collar and tie, Barry Jenkins talks filmmaking in terms kids will understand, and touches on topics such as the importance of representation (“In particular, I make movies for people who we don’t see in movies too often, so basically people like me who I feel like me who don’t see themselves in movies enough”) and independent filmmaking (“I’m not making films because someone’s paying me to, I’m making films because I want to say stuff”).

A following video, Barry Love Da’ Kids, compiles the initial videoed questions, his responses and footage of their reactions filmed by someone else. It should almost be required viewing to see the joy of a class of primarily black children finally see themselves reflected in a successful black filmmaker, with shining eyes glued to the screen. The recorded circle time afterwards is lovely record of the positive impact of a filmmaker reaching out, and often the reactions of the children are surprising. Beneath the fidgeting and restlessness, some have been really touched: “I felt like I wanted to cry” answers one kid, and when prompted by her teacher about why she felt this, simply replies “I don’t know”.

 ‘Facebook 10’

Even in commercial work, Barry Jenkins’ imaginative and thoughtful vision shines through. The upload 10 is a delicate depiction of childhood, recording children in their own worlds as many different kids experience the delights of birthdays.

From blowing up balloons to blowing out candles, the innocent confidence of kids is perfectly captured, and visuals benefit from a presumed upgrade in equipment. Wide-eyed, joyful, and fascinated, Barry Jenkins’ manages to find children just beginning figuring out the word, hesitantly questioning but also fearlessly dancing without a trace of nerves.

Much like the young girl in Barry Loves Da’ Kids, this video made me feel a sad and I don’t quite know why. There is something melancholy in being an observer on the outside looking in, and only admiring the wonder in the eyes of kids rather than sharing in that newfound awe. In morning light and without party-goers, the tables full of food and bare plastic cutlery are sapped of their magic, and there is again a focus on quieter moments.

The snappier Facebook 10, Director’s Cut is more polished, but as clips are cut shorter, this snips short beautiful moments in exchange for a tighter edit. The director’s cut makes the setting seem much more obliviously happy, and the difference between the cuts can be summed up by the simplicity of the final shot’s slogan commemorating Facebook’s anniversary “It feels awesome to be 10”, which doesn’t quite account for something meant to be a little sadder before.

So?

Perhaps the big name behind short films magnetises cinephiles to work we would otherwise sideline, but Barry Jenkins’ Vimeo is a beautiful peep into something precious and personal – a perfectly preserved time capsule of a filmmaker finding their feet.

As his bio on Vimeo sums up: “I make movies, big movies, little movies, good movies, bad movies, all of it. Love ’em all like family… no matter how they turn out”.

For even more films and videos that didn’t make this rundown, be sure to check out his Vimeo here.

What do you think of his Vimeo? Do you agree it’s worth the watch?