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Set in London in the early 1990s, this short comedy, written and directed by
first-timer Danny Thomas, pastiches common conceptions and stereotypes of
blackness and the black male. The quest of the three young protagonists for
Public Enemy concert tickets becomes an expression of their desire to assert
their identity, drawing on the hip hop group's status as powerful icons of
confident black identity and uncompromising political militancy.
Styling themselves the 'Young Disciples', Matthew, Peter and Paul represent
three different archetypes of black male identity. Thomas temporarily steps out
of the narrative to introduce the idealised alter-egos of his characters:
Matthew becomes an overzealous rapper, assaulting the camera with his
ineffectual rhymes; Peter, in African costume, is an over-sexed African king,
eating grapes in his harem; Paul is a politically conscious activist, educating
the community. These diverse - and equally improbable - personas caricature the
self-perceptions of the young black male: his boastful, extroverted nature, his
need to exert his masculinity through bravado, his vivacious sexual nature. This
macho posturing is undermined by the young men's encounters, as when Peter is
ridiculed by a one-time lover and her friend. Similarly, when Bro', a rival
posse leader, brags about his ownership of a BMW car (commonly termed 'Black
Man's Wheels'), but when its real owner - a woman - appears, his masculine
façade crumbles.
The film's humour lies in exposing how far the Young Disciples' self-images
contradict their true selves and the way others see them. But Thomas retains
genuine affection for his characters; their greatest asset, their friendship and
solidarity, are real enough.
Fola Odumosu
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Complete film (17:34)
