A Review of 'Light Up': An exhilarating account of LGBT members finding themselves
Five African Americans of the LGBT community in Atlanta narrate their dramatic success stories.
'Light Up': An exhilarating eye-opener of LGBT members finding themselves
Cast: Octavius Terry, Dunlop Tisci, Benjamin Carlton, Obio Jones, Derek Jae, AJ Crimson, Maurice Eckstein, Michael Mix, Ryan Ashley Lowery
Critic’s Rating: 4 Stars out of 5
Director: Ryan Ashley Lowery
Duration: 1 hour, 31 minutes
Genre: Documentary, Drama
Language: English
Release: 2024
What’s it about?
Five African Americans of the LGBT community in Atlanta narrate their dramatic success stories.
Review:
Here is a bold, relevant and unique documentary which gives a face and a voice to the African-American LGBT community. More specifically, Light Up sheds light on the fascinating and moving stories of a handful of gender-crossing persons who have forged successful occupations. By giving us a brutally-frank insight into their atypical journeys, this articulate quintet renders hope to the myriad of their fellows who are still stigmatised and ostracised.
These five brave souls who have bared their true selves for a probing camera are: fashion designer Octavius Terry; make-up artist and dancer Simone Tisci (alias Dunlap Simone); pastor and activist Benjamin Carlton; advocate Obio Jones; and TV host and celebrity hair-stylist Derek Jae. But this is not merely an account of their reputations in their respective occupations. Rather, it is an in-depth study of how they became who they are today, transcending the subjugation and suppression of conservative America.
Indeed, these respondents have had dissimilar origins and have been down serpentine paths to arrive at their current destinations. To begin with, some had experienced traumatising childhoods while others had benefitted from relatively supportive families. But they all suffered the double whammy of homophobia and racism in form or another. However, a fortuitous trip to Atlanta helped them get to feel an unprecedented level of freedom. This city provided them an environment that, though while still challenging, was more conducive to helping them discover themselves and make their bones.
Director Ryan Ashley Lowery and editors Clinton Cornwell and James Frederick Gary cleverly alternate sound bytes from each of the stars to create gradually-revealing “character arcs”. In so doing, we learn how Terry went from athletics (“I was running away myself”) to making his mark in the fashion industry and how the recognition of a tuxedo he made for an awards ceremony catapulted him to stardom. Then, transgender woman Ms. Simone tells us how she joined the LGBT “House” to get in step with other queer dancers, till a sugar daddy helped her realise her dreams.
Then, there is the conflicted church-goer Carlton who had to choose between his ministry and his sexual identity, undergoing egregious self-doubt and animosity along the way. Joining in the discourse is the tall and manly Obio Jones, whose discovery of his gayness in his late teens scared him into believing he was to become a victim of bullying and HIV. And finally, there is the flamboyant Jae, whose self-belief and artistry landed him in the TV shows - Tears, Sheers, Beauty, and The Real Housewives of Atlanta. This film also elucidates how its subjects went from merely “coming out” to truly feeling at peace and their likely impact on society at large.
These persons under camera and lights also make a sincere attempt to dispel gay stereotypes related to behaviour, wardrobe and such sexually-ambiguous categorising as “Down Low”. They also expound on their perception of, and relationship with, God, with Jae quoting his spiritual guide: “If God is so amazing, so forgiving, why would he damn the person you are.” Interspersed in the narrative, are clips from Black-themed movies and TV shows as well as TV news reports of hate crimes and a ban on educational LGBT books. Slight over-length and occasional repetition and digression are among the only drawbacks to this otherwise comprehensive and enlightening film. The ever-adaptive Terry assuredly has the last word when he says, "Advantages are often disguised as adversities."
