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Brother to Brother, 2004, 90 minutes, Not Rated 
By Ramona Prioleau

In Brother to Brother, writer/director Rodney Evans makes a magnificent narrative feature film debut that includes a stellar cast of primarily NY thespians. Anthony Mackie (She Hate Me), as Perry, leads the talented cast in a journey of life-affirming growth and discovery.


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Mackie's Perry is a welcome addition to the depiction of Black men on screen. Portrayed and created with depth, Perry is a richly nuanced character worthy of greater study and reflection. Mackie's wonderfully crafted portrait reveals the heart and soul of an intensely lonely young man struggling to reconcile his identity as a gay man of African descent in a contemporary cultural setting that is in large part disdainful of his lifestyle. Adding to Perry's turmoil is his recognition as an avante garde artist and his banishment from his father's home at a period in his life when he desperately needs to be loved. But where Perry believes he needs a romantic relationship, fate gives him what he truly requires - brotherly love. In one instance, it's a long-term affection that Perry tends to overlook and in another it's a newfound tenderness that satisfies his yearning for a patriarch.

 

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Occasionally, Perry bemoans his misfortune for being alone, but his friend Marcus (Larry Gilliard, Jr. in a strong performance) is quick to remind him that he has been in Perry's corner since childhood - even fighting the baseball bully for Perry when the situation demanded. The relationship between Perry and Marcus is a pleasure to watch as it serves as a much needed counterpoint to cinematic portrayals that suggest that all straight black men are homophobic. Moreover, it presents a lifelong bond so rock solid that there is no doubting its sincerity.  MORE >>>

 


© 2004 Wolfe 

Roger Robinson (Bruce Nugent) and Anthony Mackie (Perry) in Brother to Brother 

 

 

The fraternal bond given greater prominence in the film is that between Perry and the elder Bruce Nugent (Roger Robinson). It is through his relationship with Bruce that Perry fully blossoms and is able to come to terms with his pride in his sexuality and his race. As these were issues that Nugent similarly wrestled with in his youth, Perry benefits greatly from Nugent's understanding ear, sage advice and colorful anecdotes.

 

While Nugent mesmerizes Perry with stories of his artistic heyday during the Harlem Renaissance, black & white images depict a young Nugent (Duane Boutte) in the 1920's urban artistic commune known as "Niggerati Manor." This community of writers included the renowned Langston Hughes (Daniel Sunjata), Wallace Thurmond (Ray Ford) and Zora Neale Hurston (vibrantly captured by Aunjanue Ellis) all of whom live, love and create together. Through Nugent's reflections, Perry comes to understand that struggles with identity and artistic integrity are reconcilable. Moreover, Bruce's guidance is instrumental in Perry's realization that maintaining a creatively open and vibrant existence in a culture resistant to embracing diverse voices is not only possible, it's necessary to elevate society and art in all its forms.   MORE >>>

 

 


© 2004 Wolfe 

Daniel Sunjata (Langston Hughes),  Aunjanue Ellis (Zora Neale Hurston),  Ray Ford (Wallace Thurmond) and Duane Boutte (as the young Bruce Nugent) in Brother to Brother 

 
 

That writer/director Rodney Evans chooses to explore the story of a contemporary artist's self-actualization with reference to a period in African American history when artistic creativity swelled alongside efforts to limit artistic expression to more genteel topics is impressive because it not only infuses his narrative with visions of a glorious literary past, it also cleverly connects that history to the present and uses that history to educate, soothe and inspire new generations. High marks to Evans for his passionate depiction of these underrepresented experiences and images.  M

November 2004

 

 

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