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Blackbird (2014 film)

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Wikipedia article




'Blackbird' is a 2014 drama film directed by Patrik-Ian Polk and starring Mo'Nique and Isaiah Washington. The film is adapted from the novel of the same name by Larry Duplechan and was released theatrically on April 24, 2015.

Premise



A gay teenager in high school in a small Baptist town in Mississippi struggles with his religion and his sexuality. To make matters worse, his younger sister has been missing for years and it is tearing his family apart.

Cast



* Julian Walker as Randy Rousseau

* Mo'Nique as Claire Rousseau

* Isaiah Washington as Lance Rousseau

* Kevin Allesee as Marshall MacNeil

* Terrell Tilford as Pastor Crandall

*D. Woods as Leslie Crandall

* Gary LeRoi Gray as Efrem

* Torrey Laamar as Todd Waterson

* Nikki Jane as Crystal

Background



Polk initially tried to get the film made several years earlier, with Jussie Smollett cast as the young lead, however financing fell through. When the funding came through years later, he was forced to re-cast because of Smollett's busy schedule on 'Empire', and struggled to find a black male actor who would portray a gay love story on screen. However, he later met Julian Walker, who is openly gay, and chose to cast him despite his lack of acting experience.

Polk discussed, in an interview with BuzzFeed, the need for more stories featuring gay men who aren't white:
Through my years of filmmaking, we have seen the gay coming-of-age story from every possible white male point of view ... Weve seen it over, and over, and over.


Release



The film had a successful run on the film festival circuit, winning awards at several LGBT-oriented festivals including Outflix Memphis, Atlantas Out On Film Festival, and the Crossroads Film Festival in Polks native Mississippi. The film was the closing night gala screening for Los Angeles Pan African Film Festival (PAFF), where it won the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature Film.

Reception



'Blackbird' received mixed to negative reviews from critics. , 40% of the ten reviews compiled on Rotten Tomatoes are positive, with an average rating of 4.6/10. 'The Hollywood Reporter' called it "too all over the map to take seriously". 'The New York Times' said that the film has an "impressive, palpable conviction", although it ultimately "suffers from soapy excesses and narrative disjunctures". 'Slant Magazine' wrote: "'Blackbird' is, like its main character, too nave to understand or, at least, to deploy the reparative powers of camp".

See also



*List of black films of the 2010s

References




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