Happy Martin Luther King Day! For once, I have a totally related movie.I don't actually know if I've mentioned it but I'm taking an LGBT cinema class for winter. I haven't had a lot of exposure to queer cinema but I'm trying to expand my knowledge base.
This is more like a visual poem/documentary more than a narrative film. Poet Marlon Riggs and essayist Essex Hemphill use dancers, animators, actors, and friends to bring to life their selected monologues and poems about the gulf of racism that existed within the gay community. This film is extremely candid and raw about these men's feelings of ostracization and not being wanted by the black community for being gay and not being taking seriously by the gay community for being black. Their anger is visceral, as is their hurt.
In some ways, this was a much harder film to watch than usual. It doesn't follow a narrative arc in that stories and poems are only connected thematically. I don't watch a lot of indie or experimental films so that was jarring. It is worth watching but I advise you to take some time to see it in. Pause in between segments so you can really experience the depth of emotion.
In class, we paired this with Moonlight and I would also make that same recommendation if you're looking for a double feature.
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