Milestone Films, Kino Lorber and Julie Dash present new 4K restoration available on Blu-Ray and DVD on February 18
As a treat this Black History Month, I was able to secure a screener of a film made nearly 30 years ago by a Black female filmmaker. The rediscovery of “Naked Acts” expands film history, as we see the work of Bridgett M. Davis.
In 1996, when this film was released, it received critical acclaim as an independent film.
Celebrated as a key film in the canon of independent cinema by African Americans in the 1990s, “Naked Acts” was later included in the seminal anthology, “The 50 Most Influential Black Films” by S. Torriano Berry.
Beautiful aspiring actor Cicely (Jake-ann Jones) has just landed her first major role, but there’s a big problem: it requires a nude scene. Her mother was a Blaxploitation star known for her sex appeal, while Cicely is a survivor of sexual assault with lifelong body image issues, all of which have left her with a strong aversion to disrobing in public.
Now, with the support of her boyfriend Joel (Ron Cephas Jones, the late star of “This Is Us”), she attempts to get past her fears.
I view this film as groundbreaking but also catharsis for Cicely. She had been living in her mom’s and grandmother’s shadows, because they were film stars. Albeit her mother’s films were of the risqué kind, and she appeared nude. But during that era, it was probably either nude or portrayal as a servant.
Cicely had a rough time of it during rehearsals for an upcoming movie, as she’s hired to appear nude toward the end of the film.
Harper’s Bazaar notes that “the film deftly touches on body image, how Black women are portrayed in media, generational trauma, childhood sexual abuse and mommy issues.”
Cicely is consumed with her image since she had lost a considerable amount of weight. But I view this protection related more to her being violated by her mom’s male friend, when Cicely was a child.
Throughout the film and the staging of the upcoming movie’s rehearsal, Cicely begrudgingly learns to love her body and overcomes her self-esteem issues. I enjoyed seeing the late Ron Cephas Jones as a younger actor.
Milestone and Kino Lorber will release “Naked Acts” on Blu-ray and DVD February 18. The SRP for the Blu-ray is $29.95 and the SRP for the DVD is $19.95.
