I tried to avoid this movie like the plagued. Seriously, I was in no mood for black pathos, a la Precious. However, this film was not what I expected. I am so happy that I woke my lazy ass up on the last day of the American Black Film Festival to check this flick out. Here is how ABFF sold it in it's program guide:
Written and directed by Stephen Lloyd Jackson, this film tells the tale of a young successful hedge fund manager has just been told that he is HIV positive. Through an intense therapy session, David takes us on a dark, pernicious journey that displays the ugly side of love.
To cut to the chase: David is Dying of HIV and he is also crazy as all hell. Plagued by a trouble youth with a Black French prostitute mother, David is trying his best to move forward with Carla ( Isaura Barbé-Brown), the love of his life and soon-to-be mother of his unborn child, while working through some serious sociopathic behavior with an equally disturbed psychiatrist.
This film is just flat out weird, but in a good way. According to the film's Facebook Fan Page, D.I.D was partly inspired by the 5th century mythical Greek play, 'Oedipus Rex’ by Sophocles. It is not often that we get to see such stylistic and film noir from black directors and writers. This change in Black film aesthetic might because this film is from the UK, and quite possibly, Black English filmmakers are more likely to be adventurous and expansive in their narratives. Or I could have just made that shit up. *Kanye Shrug* But at any rate, the story is a welcome change from the same recycled themes we are used to seeing in Black films.
I'm not going to give too much away about this film other than to say that this was clearly my favorite scripted film of the entire festival. Also, if you get a chance to check it out, definitely take notice of the superb acting of up-and-coming Actor Lonyo Engele, who played David in the film. This past weekend, Engele took home the Best Actor award at the American Black Film Festival Honors.
Again, I missed the talkback screening of this film, so I don't know whether or not this film has distribution, let alone a US release. However, you can keep track of the films progress by clicking here. Also, check out the trailer below.
Written and directed by Stephen Lloyd Jackson, this film tells the tale of a young successful hedge fund manager has just been told that he is HIV positive. Through an intense therapy session, David takes us on a dark, pernicious journey that displays the ugly side of love.
To cut to the chase: David is Dying of HIV and he is also crazy as all hell. Plagued by a trouble youth with a Black French prostitute mother, David is trying his best to move forward with Carla ( Isaura Barbé-Brown), the love of his life and soon-to-be mother of his unborn child, while working through some serious sociopathic behavior with an equally disturbed psychiatrist.
This film is just flat out weird, but in a good way. According to the film's Facebook Fan Page, D.I.D was partly inspired by the 5th century mythical Greek play, 'Oedipus Rex’ by Sophocles. It is not often that we get to see such stylistic and film noir from black directors and writers. This change in Black film aesthetic might because this film is from the UK, and quite possibly, Black English filmmakers are more likely to be adventurous and expansive in their narratives. Or I could have just made that shit up. *Kanye Shrug* But at any rate, the story is a welcome change from the same recycled themes we are used to seeing in Black films.
I'm not going to give too much away about this film other than to say that this was clearly my favorite scripted film of the entire festival. Also, if you get a chance to check it out, definitely take notice of the superb acting of up-and-coming Actor Lonyo Engele, who played David in the film. This past weekend, Engele took home the Best Actor award at the American Black Film Festival Honors.
Again, I missed the talkback screening of this film, so I don't know whether or not this film has distribution, let alone a US release. However, you can keep track of the films progress by clicking here. Also, check out the trailer below.
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