Review of Brother to Brother (2004) by V H — 15 Nov 2004

Progressive, compelling, organic, groundbreaking.

Finally a film that effectively encompasses the black gay experience without excessive, trite stereotypes. Unlike the problematic [i]Punks[/i], which was full of cliches and unrealistic scenarios all for the goal of a good giggle, [i]Brother To Brother[/i] deals with black, gay issues from an intellectual, emotional and realistic point of view. All while still relaying some form of comic relief. There are no drag queens. No HIV/AIDS stories. No "coming out" of the closet stories.

The acting is nearly flawless especially by the lead, Anthony Mackie, who delivers a real as rain performance evoking the isolation that can happen when you are black and gay from the black community and even the gay/white community. The other characters seemed to have a chemistry that oozed onto the screen, which you see most strongly during the Harlem Renaissance scenes. These scenes touched on areas of the Harlem Renaissance that I did not even know existed - I have done extensive research so it was good to not only be entertained but educated. My only mild critique is how these black men are lusting for all these white men. It would have been nice to see at least one scene with two black men together (despite the porn) instead of solely black and white men.

Rodney Evans moves his cast and the screenplay to bounds that have never been touched before in American cinema. These images, stories are unsung voices that need to be heard - similar to the voices of the Harlem Renaissance. I truly hope that [i]Brother To Brother[/i] gets the promotion and accolades it deserves. Congratulations to all who worked on this groundbreaking film!