“There are thoughts that have the
power to trap me. I write them down to be more honest about them and lessen
their potential to do harm.”
Artists can relate to these
sentiments, whether their thoughts take the form of ink, paint, musical notes,
or another medium. Those words also serve as an introduction to Perry (Anthony
Mackie, 8 Mile), a gay black college
student. Perry’s modern-day journey of self-discovery is juxtaposed against the
Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s in Brother to Brother, a striking debut
feature film written and directed by Rodney Evans.
Perry, an aspiring painter, is
estranged from his parents, at odds with his classmates, and second-guessing
the motives of a new lover when he strikes up a friendship with Bruce (stage
actor Roger Robinson), a resident of the homeless shelter at which he works.
Bruce turns out to be Richard Bruce Nugent, a peer of writers Langston Hughes
and Zora Neale Hurston and one of the original contributors to the
groundbreaking literary quarterly Fire!.
Nugent’s piece in the inaugural
edition of Fire!, “Smoke, Lilies and
Jade,” was the first published piece written from a gay point of view by a
black author. In walks and talks with Perry along the sidewalks of New York he
offers Perry his unique perspectives on race and sexuality, while Perry learns
the old chestnut rings true: the more things change, the more they stay the
same.
Through actual vintage footage as
well as gorgeously shot flashbacks in black and white, Evans depicts the Harlem
Renaissance and its major players as they struggle against racism and
homophobia in order to make their voices heard. Langston Hughes (Daniel
Sunjata), Zora Neale Hurston (Aunjanue Ellis), Wallace Thurman (Ray Ford), and
Bruce Nugent (Duane Boutte) worked, lived, and fought together as they took on
the publishing industry, the public, and even the NAACP, who believed that Fire! was too controversial and
portrayed African-Americans in a negative light.
The film contains some lovely and
powerful performances, especially those of the two men who play Bruce Nugent.
Boutte’s portrayal perfectly captures an artist at the beginning of his career,
full of idealism and promise, and Robinson channels a wiser, older man whose
acceptance should not be confused with resignation. Also watch for Larry
Gilliard, Jr. as Perry’s friend Marcus — viewers of HBO’s “The Wire,” aka
“The Best Show on Television,” will recognize him as conflicted drug dealer
D’Angelo Barksdale.
Obviously a very personal piece of
work, Brother to Brother has been
honored at a number of festivals, including Sundance, and establishes filmmaker
Rodney Evans as an artist to watch. Brother
to Brother, the ImageOut Centerpiece Film, screens Sunday, October 10, at
the Dryden Theatre, 5 p.m. Info: 271-2640, www.imageout.org.
Maybe
it’s because it’s a Spanish farce with meaty roles for women, or perhaps
it’s because a couple of the leads have turned up in his films previously.
Whatever the reason, the influence of Pedro Almodรณvar hangs heavy over My
Mother Likes Women, and codirectors-cowriters Daniela Fejerman and Ines
Paris have crafted an engaging screwball comedy with a huge heart.
When divorced classical pianist Sofia
introduces her three grown daughters to her new lover Eliska, a much-younger
Czech woman, they can barely disguise their shock. Certain they know what’s
best for their mother — and positive that Eliska is just after her money —
Jimena, Elvira, and Sol conspire to put an end to Sofia’s obvious bliss by
finding another woman to seduce Eliska. A reconnaissance mission to a local
lesbian bar comes up empty but shows the free-spirited Sol to be very popular
with the ladies, though it’s the ultra-neurotic Elvira who eventually hits it
off with Eliska.
It’s awful timing, however, as
classic middle child Elvira is in the midst of an identity crisis. An aspiring
novelist apparently unable to filter the words that come out of her mouth,
she’s slaving away at a publishing house, being sexually harassed by her icky
therapist, and coping with her newfound attraction to a dreamy writer — and
possibly Eliska. Misunderstanding and a lack of communication help fuel the
plot and enable it to showcase a quick stopover in breathtaking Prague before
careening to a tidy wrap-up.
Really, there’s nothing happening on
screen that you haven’t seen before — possibly with different sexual
orientations represented — and you know exactly where it’s headed at all
times. But that’s not always a bad thing, and in this case it allows you to
watch Leonor Watling (as Elvira) walk off with this movie. Last seen on
American screens in My Life Without Me and
Talk to Her — and next seen in
Almodรณvar’s Bad Education — her
gifts for both cerebral and physical comedy are on full display here, and she
will hopefully be a major star.
If I had a quibble with the movie, it
would be found in the connection between Sofia and Eliska, which came off more
maternal than romantic. But who am I to dictate what people need and how their
relationships should be?
My
Mother Likes Women screens Saturday, October 16, at the Dryden Theatre, 7
p.m. Info: 271-2640, www.imageout.org.
— Dayna Papaleo
This article appears in Oct 6-12, 2004.
