SITE TOOLS
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Drylongso, 1998, 87 minutes, Not rated
By Patricia Flowers
There’s something to be said about the portrayal of young black women in
films - most plots contain friendships easily severed by a wickedly handsome male
character. Enter Drylongso, Cauleen Smith's feature film debut, that depicts the
stirring tale of two women whose chance meeting mushrooms into a marvelous friendship
that's absent of competitive bickering, nail polish and lipstick talks. |
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Pica (Toby Smith), youthful and street savvy, is a tower
of strength whose convictions garner respect and love from her community. Pica roams her
neighborhood armed with an instant camera ready to photograph young black men she believes
are near extinction. Her commitment to acknowledging their untimely deaths falls just
short of obsession.
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Courtesy Cauleen Smith
April
Barnett and
Toby Smith in Drylongso
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Pica's stunning introduction to Tobi (April Barnett) - teary-eyed, disoriented and beaten
by her abusive boyfriend - didn't trigger the familiar conclusions drawn about battered
women. Instead, Pica extends a hand to Tobi free of stereotypical profiles. Just as Tobi
hides from her abusive boyfriend, she also hides her tender shapely figure in oversized
flannels and denims. By masking her femininity, Tobi attempts to free herself from fear
and unwanted sexual advances in the hope of regaining her power.
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Drylongso examines hard issues: parental support
and responsibility, premature deaths of young black males and physical violence. Because
its characters never engage in emotional cathartic battles, Drylongso avoids the
trap that makes movies tackling similar themes very preachy. Although Tobi's abusive
boyfriend provides the most predictable and least anticipated element to Drylongso,
other secondary characters provide a refreshing diversion. Tobi and Pica's onscreen
synergy was particularly noteworthy and time spent developing the film's subplot could
have been better devoted to them.
The word Drylongso “is an African American secular term that means ordinary.”
But there’s something very fresh and new about this movie. M
July 1999 |
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