Blackbird (2014)

Oh dear...what a mess this is. A case of a good enough cast let down by a truly inept script. This film is all over the place. Appalling character development (or lack of it), coupled with an overdose of melodrama and dialogue that is truly cringe-worthy, lead to an embarrassment of a film. With so few films speaking with a black voice, let alone a Gay one, expectations were high for ' Blackbird' but this hysterical nonsense just leaves the viewer wondering WTF???! This film has the feel of a film-school graduate's first effort, which is not a criticism if they come up with the goods, as many do,...but not in this case. There's way too many concepts fighting each other for space here- religious fundamentalism, homophobia, mental health issues, abortion, family dysfunction, missing child syndrome, coming out and more. There's promise enough to hope for a better effort next time. Until then, this one is a bird that will never fly...regardless of its colour.

Hated the first scene-thought it would be a sappy terrible movie. Stick with it because it is actually very good. Especially the ending. I don't know why some others said the acting was poor because I thought they all did great. Not great just for a low-budget movie but great for any movie. If I had one complaint it would be that the teenagers I know are not always wearing perfectly clean clothes nor are they as perfect as these kids--I can overlook those quibbles for an otherwise great movie.

Blackbird pulls at the heartstrings with a touching story of a young high school student struggling with his sexuality against the backdrop of small town Mississippi. To make matters worse our main character is being raised in a deeply religious household and his baby sister has been missing for several years. As you can image, this has caused a huge rift in his family that threatens to tear it apart forever.Young Randy, played by newcomer Julian Walker, must be strong for both himself and his mom (Mo'Nique); the latter of which is on the verge of a major breakdown. Randy's father, portrayed by Isaiah Washington, would like to be there for his wife and son, but it appears both parties have given up on the father for reasons which aren't really clear. Randy would very much like to help his family cope through these tough times; however, before he can do this, he must first learn to help himself. This starts by learning and accepting who he, himself, really is.In the opening scene I must admit I wasn't very impressed with Walker's acting but as the story progressed I began to see why writer/director Patrik-Ian Polk was charmed by the unknown actor. Walker ended up doing a fine job and seems like a natural. I think a lot of the reasons why I liked this film so much is because I see so much of myself in Randy. I, too, grew up in a devout Christian household struggling with my sexuality. I didn't have a missing baby sister or an openly gay best friend named Efrem (Gary L. Gary), but the struggle, confusion, and secret, sinful pleasure was all there. And that's what makes Blackbird so special – it's a real life story from the perspective of so many young boys and girls across the country that have secretly struggled (and still struggle) with their sexuality. Even in today's progressive society this can still be a taboo and scary issue – when it shouldn't even be an issue at all. Luckily for Randy – he eventually does figure it out and accept who he is. However, one of his high school buddies, Todd (and secret crush) shows up in a dream and foretells the future. He'll have some ups and downs along the way, but nothing he experiences, no matter how great, will ever take away from this coming-of-age period in his life where he figured it all out (his sexuality). And I know this feeling too: Nostalgia! This is what Blackbird captures so well. That said, I did have a few issues with the film – hence the reason it's not receiving a perfect 10 rating… First up, while Mo'Nique once again shows she's not just a loud-mouth comedian, her role was too close of a rehash of the crazy, abusive mother she played in Precious; maybe this time with a sprinkle of Piper Laurie's overly- religious Margaret White from the original Carrie. To her credit, Mo'Nique did own her part in Blackbird, though I just knew at any moment she would breakout with, "you sit there and you judge me, and you write them notes on your notepad…" Lord! There lies the problem. We've seen enough of Mary in Precious. Can we leave her in that movie? And this next one is just my personal gripe, but - no way in hell if I were Randy could I have been battling gay feelings/dreams and had an openly gay friend as fine as Efrem who obviously had the hots for me. This movie never would have been made because I would have figured it out (with Efrem's help) a long time ago...

A wonderful film that will motivate and help young individuals who are coming of age ! The film explores the fear that many young teens face that many other writers or filmmakers are afraid to expose. We have seen films where gays are loved and praised, which is always fun to watch, but it is also important that we get to see the other side. Blackbird is the movie you go buy and give to that one kid who is afraid to come out and be himself. I think it's something that families can watch together. Although it may be controversial to some,I believe the younger generation facing this struggle will watch this film and say, "Thanks, I needed that."