Blackbird (2014 film)

For the film made in 2014 and formerly titled "Blackbird", directed and written by Gina Prince-Bythewood, see Beyond the Lights.

2014 American film

Blackbird

Directed by| Patrik-Ian Polk
Screenplay by| Rikki Beadle-Blair
Patrik-Ian Polk
Based on| Blackbird
1986 novel
by Larry Duplechan
Produced by| Keith Louis Brown
Patrik-Ian Polk
Carol Ann Shine
Isaiah Washington
Matthew Young
Starring| Mo'Nique
Isaiah Washington
Kevin Allesee
Gary L. Gray
Nikki Jane
Torrey Laamar
Terrell Tilford
D. Woods
Julian Walker
Cinematography| Eun-ah Lee
Edited by| Bryan Colvin
Music by| Adam Samuel Goldman

Production
companies

KBiz Entertainment
Tall Skinny Black Boy Productions

Distributed by| RLJ Entertainment

Release dates

* February 16, 2014 (2014-02-16) (Pan African Film Festival)
* April 24, 2015 (2015-04-24)

Running time

| 99 minutes
Country| United States
Language| English

Blackbird is a 2014 drama film directed by Patrik-Ian Polk and starring Mo'Nique and Isaiah Washington.[1] The film is adapted from the novel of the same name by Larry Duplechan and was released theatrically on April 24, 2015.[2]

## Premise

[edit]

Set in a small baptist community in the south of Mississippi, a 17-year-old high school senior and talented singer juggles with his sexuality and religion while also dealing with the disappearance of his younger sister as it tore his family apart.

## Cast

[edit]

* 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

[edit]

Polk initially tried to get the film made several years earlier, with Jussie Smollett cast as the young lead, however financing fell through.[3] 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.[3] However, he later met Julian Walker, who is openly gay, and chose to cast him despite his lack of acting experience.[3]

Polk discussed, in an interview with BuzzFeed, the need for more stories featuring gay men who aren't white:[3]

> Through my years of filmmaking, we have seen the gay coming-of-age story from every possible white male point of view ... We’ve seen it over, and over, and over.

## Release

[edit]

The film had a successful run on the film festival circuit, winning awards at several LGBT-oriented festivals including Outflix Memphis, Atlanta’s Out On Film Festival, and the Crossroads Film Festival in Polk’s native Mississippi.[2] 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.[2]

## Reception

[edit]

Blackbird received mixed to negative reviews from critics. As of August 2020[update], 40% of the ten reviews compiled on Rotten Tomatoes are positive, with an average rating of 4.6/10.[4] The Hollywood Reporter called it "too all over the map to take seriously."[5] The New York Times said that the film has an "impressive, palpable conviction," although it ultimately "suffers from soapy excesses and narrative disjunctures."[6] Slant Magazine wrote: "Blackbird is, like its main character, too naïve to understand or, at least, to deploy the reparative powers of camp."[7]

## See also

[edit]

* List of black films of the 2010s

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Murphy, Mekado (2014-07-23). "Playing at Newfest". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
2. ^ a b c Tiggett, Jai (2015-02-10). "Exclusive: UMC Sets Theatrical Date for Patrik-Ian Polk's 'Blackbird' + New Release Poster + Trailer". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 2015-02-15. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
3. ^ a b c d "Filmmaker Patrik-Ian Polk Is Still Telling Definitive Black Gay Stories". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
4. ^ "Blackbird (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
5. ^ "'Blackbird': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
6. ^ Webster, Andy (2015-04-26). "Review: A Young Man's Voyage, Awash in Taboo Desires, in 'Blackbird'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
7. ^ "Blackbird | Film Review | Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2018-03-16.

## External links

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* Blackbird at IMDb
* Blackbird at the TCM Movie Database
* Blackbird at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films

* v
* t
* e

Works by Patrik-Ian Polk

Films|

* Punks (2000)
* Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom (2008)
* The Skinny (2012)
* Blackbird (2014)

Other works|

* Noah's Arc (2005-2006)

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