The "Invisible" Man Returns

Another day, another "down low" topic. You may have already heard some early controversy about actor-director Bill Duke's new film project Invisible. The full-length indie feature follows "Dutch" a handsome, young family man who becomes involved with a male partner. That one night of passion leads to a possible lifetime of suffering after his f-buddy is diagnosed with HIV. You're lead to believe that Dutch practiced unsafe sex; we see him consumed with rage because he learns that he may have contracted the virus and passed it on to his wife. (View the trailer here.) At best, the chain of events may seem somewhat believable if the trailer also had not portrayed him as a physician. Being married and a doctor you'd think he'd wrap it up, right? (Maybe his dl jump-off was just too hot to pass up.) But we'll suspend disbelief because the filmmakers want us to see that this is an educated, professional buppie who made a bad decision.

The material may seem rather contrived, but the trailer seems ... decent. The dramatic voice-over, actors, staging and editing are quite appropriate for a Tyler Perry film, minus the gospel-track. But when the trailer ends, the screen fades to black and presents a rather alarming quote about the "down low": "Women, mostly African-American, don't know these men's secrets. 70% of these women have contracted HIV or are dying from AIDS." Those stats are highly inflated and the sensational trailer is creating buzz:

One of the first to note the inflated 70 percent statistic was Keith Boykin. His best-selling Beyond the Down Low is about to be published in paperback, and, as most of you know, the book deconstructed the myth that the dl is the primary catalyst for black women contracting HIV. Keith wrote Duke Media to request clarification:

Entertainment and education are not mutually exclusive. They call it "infotainment", and one of the first rules should be to "do no harm." In other words, it's okay not to provide information as long as you don't provide misinformation. It would have been fine if the trailer simply ended without the statistics. The story line was interesting enough without the false information. But the statistics are way off. The truth is that less than 2 percent of women diagnosed with AIDS have reported sex with a bisexual male as the method of exposure. Not 70 percent.

J. Bernard Jones at the Edge of Night—a very well-written weblog that often analyzes gay black male images in film and television—finds an inherent contradiction between the title and the film's intended message:

The trailer for "Invisible" reveals deeper problems, one of which ironically is found in the title itself. "Invisible" might refer to men who are supposedly unclockable, but what the title unwittingly refers to is the fact that DL hysteria invariably reduces those Black men (whether gay or bisexual) who have sex with so-called DL men to either invisible supporting players in their own life stories or to murderous accomplices of the DL bogeyman.

Taylor Siluwé at the SGL Cafe is willing to give the movie a chance—partly in "homage to the style, artistry, and brilliance that is Bill Duke"—but wonders if the film may fuel the current backlash against gay black men:

People already want to believe we're sex-obsessed loose-cannons of society anyway, like we're just salivating to pounce on helpless straight men to fuel the hedonistic orgies we call our lives. Will this movie feed that nonsense, or will it expose it for the bullshit that it is? Will it be true to life ... or just guilty entertainment to creep-out the masses?

Invisible is slated for a 2006 release.

Bill Duke (SGL Café) Invisible Men (Edge of Night) Invisible (Official Site and Trailer) And Now—Back to the Dow Low (Keith Boykin) The DL Chronicles (Rod 2.0) On the Low (Rod 2.0) New Data on DL, HIV (Rod 2.0)

Comments

[algie]

i would love to see the movie when it comes out but i agree as well that the dl thing in movies is not all i wanna see. all of us ain't on the dl with wives and girlfriends at home.

[Holiday N]

I believe that this movie,like Noah's Arc,might feed into the stereotypes and "negative" images associated with the gay lifestyle. But,being the HUGE hag that I am,I know that these situations and characters exist(more than people would like to admit)and I look at this movie,Noah's Arc and all the recently released movies as pioneers/starts/stepping stones to other perspectives to come.
Sadly,stereotypes get people in the seats.

[HoneyforOshun]

... being a physician myself and having dealt with other physicians biblically and non-biblically, all I can say is: you'd be surprised how many "bad decisions" are made despite education and better knowledge. this scenario is really not that unrealistic. sex and common sense just don't mix well.

great review - I'll mos def put this one on my list...

[ralphie]

Rod thanks so much for the short roundUP. It was thoughtful to point us to what other bloggers think.

We missed your Noah this week. :(

[kane]

finally someone else feels the way i do. those stats are so overstated. it's like dl guys are public enemy #1. forget the fact that women can cheat as well.

[Lee Gordon]

I date a Nurse Practitioner for a while, who never wanted to use a condom. It used to make me very angry. I think he thought because he was a big black top he was somehow invincible. Fool.

[Lee Gordon]

I used to date a Nurse Practitioner for a while, and he never wanted to use a condom. It used to make me very angry. I think he thought because he was a big black top he was somehow invincible. Fool.

[Forever Barri]

Does anyone remember the early mottos for AIDS awareness:

Silence=Death?

The DL=Death, too right?

These movies never give minorities the credit of actually disclosing his or her status. I read recently that 78% of HIV positive minorities disclose based on POZ magazine. So these statistics that are images of this movie seem to be way off. It seems as though a scare tactic alongside with the curiosity of what happens in this movie may in fact achieve the results that most movie directors go for......REVENUE.

[curtishooks]

I agree that the stereotype is what sells. Nevertheless, I found many people ask questions regarding scripts in movies. Its up the the gay community to set the records straight (no pun intended) referencing the lifestyle. The gay community is like any other community when it comes to values, beliefs, and self respect. I am proud of the new groundbreaking media. I wish all this exposure was around during the 70's and early 80's. I would have been less confused regarding the gay life. Now, after 23 years living openly gay, i am self assured and confident with whom I am. The truth will always set anyone free.

[kei]

so when is the movie going to be released?

[JANELLE]

I Would like to know when this movie coming out?

[NATIVEQUEEN39]

WHERE CAN I FIND BILL DUKE'S INVISIBLE CAN'T FIND NYWHERE I HAVE TO SEE THIS MOVIE

[Tawanna]

I would like to know when is this movie coming out?

[mir]

Rod (funny, that's my brother's nick name) i need to know more about this movie. is it on dvd?anywhere i can get a hold of it?

[Marjorie]

I think that while the statistics are alarming and may be inaccurate, they were necessary to educate the society about the fact that there are brothers out there who do live their lives like this. It also helps some of those men to realise the consequences of their actions not only for themselves but also for their partners. And this situation will continue until society realises that a black man being gay is not the worst thing that can happen to a family or a community but rather a black man being forced to live a lie and never knowing what it is to live his life honestly, completely and as a whole person is ten times worse than any stigma that a family might feel about their gay son.

I can't wait to see this film.

[Marjorie]

I think that while the statistics are alarming and may be inaccurate, they were necessary to educate the society about the fact that there are brothers out there who do live their lives like this. It also helps some of those men to realise the consequences of their actions not only for themselves but also for their partners. And this situation will continue until society realises that a black man being gay is not the worst thing that can happen to a family or a community but rather a black man being forced to live a lie and never knowing what it is to live his life honestly, completely and as a whole person is ten times worse than any stigma that a family might feel about their gay son.

I can't wait to see this film.

[Danyelle]

I don't care about the statistics. I care that men are lying about sleeping with other men. It's unfortunate that they are not "man" enough to let their female partner know that they sleep with men as well. If they did, maybe the HIV rate wouldn't be as high as it is. White men don't seem to have a problem with informing women that they are bisexual. It's not that the black community looks down on the gay men, it's the DL men that are ashame of what they're doing. It's the guilt that is inside of them. DO NOT blame it on the black community. Maybe I'm being bias because I don't agree with the gay lifestyle whether you're black or white. You're not born that way, you choose that lifestyle. God doesn't make mistakes...MAN does. It's like a drug addict kicking the habit. Even though they may crave it...you fight the feeling. It eventually goes away. Your mind is the devils playground. Everything starts with a thought...the more you think about it the more it grows. Homosexuality is about lust.