Black machismo, homosexuality, interracial relationships and the Harlem Renaissance are subjects that Rodney Evans explores cohesively in his debut feature film, “Brother to Brother.” Evans visited campus Oct. 14 for the screening of his work and a post-screening discussion.
The film, which was awarded the Special Jury Prize in the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, follows college student and artist Perry Williams (Anthony Mackie) through a turbulent time in his life. In the opening scene he tells the audience in a voice-over, “There are thoughts that have the power to trap me…There’s a war inside me.”
Slowly, the audience is able to piece together why the protagonist has such internal conflict.
In one scene, Perry attempts to retrieve some schoolbooks from his parents’ home, but his dad refuses to let him in. In another, Perry and a classmate get into an argument that appears to be a recurring source of conflict in the class; they debate whether mentioning that James Baldwin was gay is relevant to African-American political struggle.
Much of what Perry suffers is due to his efforts to reconcile his blackness with his sexuality. Perry is gay, and battles with his desire to be true to himself as a young black man.
Instead of overcompensating for being queer and immersing himself in stereotypical black culture, Perry is able to face his problems with the help of an aging black writer. Bruce Nugent, played by Roger Robinson, actually lived and wrote during the Harlem Renaissance; the film is dedicated to him. In the film, he is virtually a vagabond, yet he has retained the devil-may-care attitude of his youth and inspires Perry artistically and emotionally. In fact, Bruce’s insouciance often acts as a foil to the brooding, old soul of his young friend.
“What’s a hot piece of ass doing in this old man’s body?” Bruce asks, wistfully reflecting on his halcyon days.
After Perry reads some of Bruce’s poetry and realizes who he is, the two spend time together. Bruce shares stories of his youth, which parallel Perry’s life because Bruce too is a gay black artist. During the Harlem Renaissance, Bruce’s bohemian lifestyle clashed with that of the newly emerging class of the black bourgeoisie. While the middle class was attempting to assimilate and fit the white norm, Bruce’s crowd was turning the status quo of both white and black culture on its head.
“If anything is deemed disturbing or pornographic, then so much the better,” a young Bruce declared in a flashback in which he and his peers discussed what was to be included in their publication “Fire.”
While Bruce shares his experiences, the audience views them in black and white flashbacks. In these flashbacks the greats of the Harlem Renaissance show up and come to life for today’s audience. Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes and Wallace Thurman are portrayed as fun-loving, rebellious leaders of a black culture that embraced art, sex and orgiastic revelry.
“I was pretty intimidated by putting dialogue into the mouths of Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes….I wanted to take them down from their mythic status,” Evans said in discussion after the showing.
One particular problem Perry faces is his ambiguous relationship with friend and lover, Jim (Alex Burns). Jim, who is white, inadvertently offends Perry with what is intended to be romantic pillow talk. After commenting on the seductiveness of Perry’s skin tone, lips, and “sweet black ass,” Perry storms away. Perry’s reaction is surprising but justifiable. The predicament prompted thoughts on when such comments cross the line from flattery to patronizing fetishism.
It does not help that Perry’s best friend, Marcus, who is supportive of Perry’s sexuality, is prejudiced. After having performed at a poetry café, he reacts to a young white man’s praise with a cold aloofness; he doesn’t believe the white teenager can appreciate the meaning of his words.
“Caucasoids never cease to amaze me,” Marcus mutters after the teenager walks away.
Fortunately, Bruce can relate to Perry’s uneasiness in his interracial love affair. Through sharing his experiences, it becomes clear that Perry’s problems concerning race and love are similar to those of Bruce and his peers in the early twentieth century. “Selling out” is chief among Perry’s fears; his blackness is threatened. Bruce is able to provide reassurance to Perry and allay his worries.
After a particularly disturbing scene in which Perry is randomly attacked by a group of thugs for being queer, the movie skips forward about a week, during which Perry has been alone and depressed. Bruce forces Perry out of his stupor and spends a night talking and painting with him in the abandoned house that was his literary group’s home. After the night, which clearly rejuvenates both of them, Perry discovers his mentor dead. Perry is the nearest Bruce has to next-of-kin, and his only mourner. Though the film ends on a somber note, it is heartening that Perry is able to learn from and be inspired by Bruce.
“I thought it was an effective ending because it provided a means through which we could see the extent of Bruce’s influence on Perry,” said Cameron Lockwood ’08. “It was both a poignant and inspiring ending.”
In the discussion that followed, Evans spoke of an interview he saw featuring Bruce Nugent.
“[He had] a poetic street wisdom…Just kind of seeing this interview blew my brains apart,” Evans said.
The film, Evans explained, actually found its inspiration in a video diary Evans kept. The diary project, entitled “Close to Home,” documented the director’s relationship with another man. Much of the dialogue between Perry and his lover Jim is taken straight from real conversations from “Close to Home.”
“It was pretty exciting to speak with the director afterwards,” said Elaine Campbell ’08.
Evans spoke casually with the audience, imparting details from his experiences in love, work, and life in general. His insight clarified Perry’s experience, as much of it mirrored his own, and gave the film a context in which to be understood.
“Brother to Brother” will be opening Nov. 5 in New York City, Nov. 19 in San Francisco, and Dec. 10 in Chicago.
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