For Jussie Smollet’s directorial debut, he adapted James Earl Hardy’s 1994 award-winning book B-Boy Blues for the big screen. The movie of the same name follows the tumultuous relationship between Mitchell (Timothy Richardson) and Raheim (Thomas Mackie). The former is a college-educated journalist from Brooklyn, while Raheim, on the other hand, is a homeboy bike messenger and banjee boy from Harlem. They meet and then have to navigate the differences and problems in their relationship.
The film paints a very realistic portrayal of queer, black love and is one of the closest representations in mainstream media, comparable to Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight. In B-Boy Blues, we are invited to follow Mitchell and Raheim and root for them through their highs and lows, not the typical one-sided narrative that is gotten when queer people are added to sub-plots and not developed properly. There is the tenderness of the men, shown through intimate dinner dates and semi-nude shots all over Mitchell’s apartments, and there are also the moments of pain. This is where the cinematography choices come in because they make us emote when we are needed to
B-Boy Blues is so unapologetically queer, and it does not miss an opportunity to tap into it. It plays into certain stereotypes like having the female best friend who nudges you to do everything, the friend who has the tea on everyone, the loving aunt amidst other characters. This instantly makes it very relatable for queer black people. According to Smollet, his production company, SuperMassive, will invest in projects by LGBTQ+ people, women, and filmmakers of color. Going by this first project, one can only wait to see what’s rolling up their sleeves.
(c) SuperMassive Movies
Despite all of this, it is not a perfect film. A couple of scenes here and there are drawn out, and the dialogue could be a lot better than it was. Also, there were various opportunities to shed more light on specific issues such as violence, bisexuality, and even blackness in the film. Unfortunately, it misses on these ends and sweeps it under the carpet. While this decision could be because of the adherence to the original material, issues like this still plague the black queer community today and need to be addressed.
Nonetheless, B-Boy Blues works for what it is. Two black men, falling in love, dealing with their problems, navigating those layers of blackness and queerness, the beauty that comes with your family, and even the humor. We do not get a lot of this in Hollywood, and we will enjoy every opportunity to see more films like this.
B-Boy Blues also stars Brandee Evans, Ledisi, Broderick Hunter, Landon G. Woodson, Michael Jackson, Jr., Marquise Vilson, Jabari Redd, Brian Lucas, Heather B., Eric R. Williams, Otis Winston, Tiesha Thomas, Jahleel Kamara, Andre Virgo, Bry’Nt, Ilara Phoenix Williams, and Sampson McCormick in supporting roles. It won the Fan Favourite Narrative Feature at the American Black Film Festival 2021, and we can’t wait for it to be released at an unannounced date to the public.
Steve Potter (a pseudonym) is a writer and communications specialist based in Lagos. He tweets from @FieryQueer
