A drama that looks back on the Harlem Renaissance from the perspective of an elderly, black writer who meets a gay teenager in a New York homeless shelter.
Brother to Brother (2004)
Director: Rodney Evans
Writer: Rodney Evans
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Language: English
Year: 2004
Duration: 94 min
Stars: Anthony Mackie, Roger Robinson, Alex Burns, Kevin Jackson, Billoah Greene, Brad Bailey
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Interesting, educational, and affirming!
imdb February 2005
These are the three words that I would use to describe Brother to Brother. Evans does an awesome job of linking the issues of society during the Harlem Renaissance and those of today. He shows us that not much has changed in all these years with the perceptions of gay black life. We’re still dealing with other people’s misconceptions of what gay life is.
Evans imagery of the past and future are excellent complements of each other. We get to see how 4 well know black writers dealt with issues back then and how those same issues are dealt with today.
The other contrasting imagery he uses is with the age difference between Perry and Bruce. Is it OK for an older man to befriend a younger man? While the gay community seems to have a problem with this, Perry learns that the older gentleman has a lot to share with him. Evans is brilliant in showing us the other side of the hill. In the gay community, once you hit 30, you’re old and no one wants you. Evans does an excellent job of pointing this out and is one of the only themes he seems to tie up. No matter how hot you are when you’re young, you’re going to end up old and lonely in the end.
The older black gay community is non existent and there is no one passing this history down to the younger generation. I saw this movie in February, Black History Month, and must say it was an eye opener. Evans touched upon many different aspects of the gay community but mainly the gay black community. I think the reason that he didn’t make this a Cinderella ending is because as a community we are still searching for the answers to many of his points.
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