In this artful and thought-provoking film, highly regarded experimental filmmaker Abigail Child follows four young African American men in urban Cleveland, Ohio, who all live life on the downlow (the DL).
Uncomfortable with being termed gay, as it doesn t correspond with their concept of Black masculinity, the men in this film straddle two seemingly incompatible worlds. Billy claims that the best sex of his life was with the mother of his two children, but he lives with a man. A self-described thug, Ray prefers drag queens. Kerwin desires not only a beautiful woman on his arm, but a man as well. And Antonio, an ex-con who picked up the DL lifestyle while incarcerated, is dating George, whose teenage girlfriend doesn t know that George, too, is on the DL. Together, these men s stories offer a rare window into both the allure and struggle of the DL lifestyle.
Interweaving their narratives through candid interviews and intimate cinematography by Arthur Jafa (Crooklyn, Daughters of the Dust), ON THE DOWNLOW offers a penetrating glimpse into a split existence: one life lies on the surface, and another is hidden below.
DVD Features: Original Casting Interviews; Trailer; Filmmaker Biography
Filmmaker Abigail Child explores a little-acknowledged aspect of African-American culture in this documentary. Using a combination of new footage and found images, Child sets the scene in Cleveland, Ohio with a rhythmic visual barrage that portrays the urban landscape in a unique and striking manner. Child alternates this absorbing vision of the city with interviews conducted with four African-American men living in Cleveland, who discuss their lives and their relationships. All four men live "on the downlow" - while their primary sexual and romantic relationships are with other men, they strive to maintain the outward appearance of straight men, and keep their sexuality a secret. Despite their common sexual preference, each man views his situation in a different way and has his own opinions about gay life within the city's African-American community. An ongoing and evolving documentary project, a version of On The Downlow was screened as part of the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival, while an earlier (and considerably shorter) version, called The Party, appeared at the 2005 New York Underground Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
