Art student Perry Williams (Anthony Mackie) is an 18-year-old man dealing with being both black and gay in contemporary NYC. He is shunned by his father for his sexual identity and wary of being viewed as a sell-out by blacks when his art gains a white audience. Perry studies at Columbia University, works at a homeless shelter and wants to be an artist. He writes his thoughts in a diary and tells them to his friend Marcus (Larry Gilliard Jr.), a sympathetic straight man who can't give Perry either the love or answers he desires. Perry reads a book on the Harlem Renaissance, the artistic, literary and intellectual movement that blazed through the 1920s and 30s, centered north of 110th Street in NYC. Entranced by a short story in the collection called "Smoke, Lilies and Jade," an open exploration of gay desire, Perry embarks on an adventure with the help of homeless poet Bruce Nugent (Roger Robinson), who was involved in the Harlem Renaissance. Perry suddenly finds himself transported back in time and cavorting with the likes of Langston Hughes (Daniel Sunjata), Wallace Thurman (Ray Ford), and Zora Neale Hurston (Aunjanue Ellis). Perry discovers the homophobia and racism he faces in the early 21st century closely parallel Bruce's in his emotional and psychological journey. Jim (Alex Burns), a white student who's curious about the gay lifestyle, remarks to Perry, "You have the sweetest black ass I have ever seen." He has a disappointing relationship with a handsome white lover. This sensitive and introspective drama's treatment of the fine line separating racism and respect make it worth watching. Original music is by Barney McAll, Marc Anthony Thompson, and Dave Warrin. Rodney Evans wrote the script and directed.
