Black Nativity

Black Nativity
Sat 1/25 6:30; Sun 1/26 2:30 & 7:30; Mon 1/27 9:00; Tue 1/28 6:30; Wed 1/29 9:00; Thur 1/30 6:30

Dir: Kasi Lemmons / 2013 / US / 93 minutes / DCP

Inspired by the classic Langston Hughes “gospel song play” that provided its namesake, Kasi Lemmons (Eve’s Bayou) Black Nativity adds a modern-day setting and framing story while maintaining the original’s focus on the African-American religious experience. Recently unemployed and facing eviction from her Baltimore home, Naima (Jennifer Hudson) sends her teenaged son Langston (Jacob Latimore) to stay with the parents (Forest Whitaker and Angela Bassett) she has not seen since she ran away years ago as a pregnant teen. Arriving in New York, Langston discovers that his grandfather is a strict Baptist preacher, his grandparents pillars of the Harlem community. Unable (and unwilling) to understand these virtual strangers, Langston goes out into the streets in an attempt to score the money necessary to allow him to reunite with his mother and keep their apartment. Throughout the film, the characters sing both classic gospel songs and original compositions, culminating in Langston’s grandfather’s congregation’s annual performance of Black Nativity. Mark Kermode of The Observer (UK) says, “Kasi Lemmons… brings warmth and passion to the unashamedly schmaltzy and contrived proceedings, flowing freely between song and dance and drama, climaxing in a celebratory service which will have you tapping your feet, wiping your eye, and loving your neighbor as yourself.”