LGM Film Club, Part 207: Tongues Untied

I’ve been really into film essays lately and recently checked this prime example of both it and Black gay cinema of the 1980s with Marlon Riggs’ Tongues Untied. Riggs, who died of AIDS in 1994, uses a variety of interesting techniques to tell the story of being Black and gay in America, covering everything from growing up in racist and homophobic spaces to what it means for Black gay men to be attracted primarily to white men. It concludes with a powerful meditation on how personal fulfillment is now a death sentence. Not every part of this film works that well. Some of it is very stagey and some parts go on too long. But mostly, it’s quite successful and recommended. Here’s a 3 minute clip: