Viewers have been gripped by a ‘powerful’ 1970s-set drama that is available to stream now

The BBC is streaming a “powerful” period drama that fans have called “a masterpiece”.

Starring Colman Domingo and Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk is set in Harlem in the 1970s and tells the story of Clementine “Tish” Rivers (played by KiKi Layne), whose childhood friend and now partner Alonzo “Fonny” Hunt (Stephan James) is wrongly accused of assaulting a woman.

“Based on the novel by James Baldwin, If Beale Street Could Talk is the story of Tish, a newly engaged Harlem woman who races against the clock to prove her lover’s innocence while carrying their first born child to term,” a synopsis said.

“It is a celebration of love told through the story of a young couple, their families and their lives, trying to bring about justice through love, for love and the promise of the American dream.”

Domingo, who is known for films such as Selma and Michael, plays Tish’s dad Joseph. Tish’s mother is played by King, who won a best supporting actress Oscar for her performance.

The film has been a huge hit with viewers, with one posting on IMDb.com: “Going into If Beale Street Could Talk, I knew it would be a good movie since Barry Jenkins directed it and Moonlight was incredible. But what we actually got was an absolute masterpiece.”

The fan also commented on the “incredible” acting, plot and cinematography, adding: “If Beale Street Could Talk is a work of art.”

Others agreed that it was “excellent” and a “must-watch”, with one saying that it was “heartwarming and heartbreaking In equal doses”. “So beautiful, I am speechless,” said another.

“This was a powerful, deeply moving love story,” remarked somebody else. “I personally found my self crying while watching this movie, several times.”

“It’s so immaculately crafted that many moments I found myself audibly gasping; some scenes so beautifully composed, so artfully shot, and so visually tender yet powerful that you want to hang the film on a wall,” one person remarked on review site Rotten Tomatoes.

“It will rip your heart out,” said another viewer.

Another fan posted a review online saying it left them “utterly speechless”, adding: “The film says so much in the most poetic and achingly beautiful way imaginable.”

If Beale Street Could Talk is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.