Brother to Brother

I loved this movie! From the moment it began as we traveled over the East River, I was totally absorbed it this movie. However, be aware that it is quite "erotic" even though it is not explicit. I saw the film in Manhattan early in the afternoon. There were quite a few "Thug" types in the audience, I guess because it is a predominatly "black" movie. To my surprise, they sat through the entire movie, erotic scenes and all. I think this makes a statement. Perhaps the "thug" scene is just a facade and this movie gets to the heart of what many men, including Black men feel. This movie has wonderful performances from everyone. It's ashamed that it is not in wider release. Congratulations to Anthony MacKie for taking on this role.

Brother to Brother is an interesting film that highlights artists from the Harlem Renaissance and the similar plight contemporary African American artists face today. Like most first time film makers, Rodney Evans tries to accomplish too much in his first narrative film. That he succeeds as well as he does is a testament to his talent and love for his subject manner. This is a film about thoughts and concepts, conflict comes from a deeply internal place: How does a young black artist reconcile the duality of being Black and Gay. How do you handle it when other African-Americans hatred is stronger than the solidarity you want from them? The film is lyrical, appropriately poetic and sincere. Anthony Mackie is strong as the young artist (Perry) who stumbles across an elderly writer from the renaissance who has fallen on hard times, Bruce Nugent, wonderfully played by Roger Robinson. All the performances have charm and style. Brother to Brother is not a perfect film, but without making any special allowances it is an ambitious thoughtful film. It shows a time and place almost overlooked by the general public but worth more than a second look.

Unless I missed something in the screening I saw tonight, we had a college age kid get involved with a man who had to be at least 100 years old.

The premise was a young sensitive black and gay student who's going through his own angst happens to meet up with a survivor from the Harlem Renaissance era of the 1920s. Anthony Mackie as the student and Roger Robinson as the artist/survivor both give fine performances and I was deeply moved. A lot of issues that they talked about are as relevant today as during the 1920s, although God knows a whole lot of history has occurred in the intervening years.

After the film though I started thinking. Roger Robinson looks about 75 in the film, he was born in 1940 which would make him sixty five. But 105 would be a more appropriate age if we're to believe he was hanging out with Langston Hughes, Zora Hurston, etc. back in the day. I'm sure some other people had to realize that as well.

In order to make the film more plausible, the writer and director should have placed the modern story circa 1980. That would have been more believable with the players ages.

Still and all, it's a deeply moving film and one to be seen and treasured.

PS. After writing this review I looked up Richard Bruce Nugent and found that he was born in 1906, died in 1987 and that he died in Hoboken, New Jersey.

We just had an amazing screening of BROTHER TO BROTHER in Minneapolis last night. The response to the film and filmmaker was overwhelmingly positive. Not only did the audience love the film, but the press was also wild about it. Some of the conservative African American newspapers wrote some of the most positive pieces about the film surprisingly. Having such great press created an audience that was extremely mixed in terms of race and gender. During the Q & A with the filmmaker, it became obvious that his film touched on subject matter that had deep meaning for audience members no matter their background.

I'm so happy that this film has been picked up for distribution because it is essential that it's seen by a wider audience. If you have the opportunity to see the film, don't pass it up!

I couldn't disagree more with the person who described the film as "dreadful."

I am no great critic of film but I saw this film at the Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (PIGLFF) and enjoyed it and was ultimately moved by it.

I detected a moment of spotty acting in an early scene; otherwise, I found the film to be professional and polished. It deals with themes of parenting, maturation, relations across generations, race, friendship, sexuality, homophobia, perception, the life, role and integrity of an artist in one's culture.

It provides an interesting and enticing view into the Harlem Renaissance, a place and time I was not that familiar with.

It was well received by the audience I viewed it with, and I recommend it.