Looking for Langston is a beautifully photographed faux travelogue through the Harlem Renaissance using the poetry of Langston Hughes alongside those of Richard Bruce Nugent, James Baldwin, and Essex Hemphill. Also shown are the controversial photographs of black men by the photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Director Julien also uses a cast of actors to recreate the moving image scenes of the era, chiefly focusing o poems and words about the homosexuality at odds with the established black America's desire for more assimilation. Juxtaposing the words with images of desire both fulfilled and unfulfilled in exquisite black and white creates an atmosphere that is both erotic and withholding, spaced out, yet full of embrace.
A phenomenal artistic achievement!
A phenomenal artistic achievement!