Drylongso

R

Released Mar 29, 1998

1 hr. 26 min.

Drama

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100%

10 Reviews

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A lost treasure of 1990s DIY filmmaking, Cauleen Smith's Drylongso embeds an incisive look at racial injustice within a lovingly handmade buddy movie/murder mystery/ romance. Alarmed by the rate at which the young Black men around her are dying--indeed, "becoming extinct," as she sees it--brash Oakland art student Pica (Toby Smith) attempts to preserve their existence in Polaroid snapshots, along the way forging a friendship with a woman in an abusive relationship (April Barnett), experiencing love and loss, and being drawn into the search for a serial killer who is terrorizing the city. Capturing the vibrant community spirit of Oakland in the nineties, Smith crafts both a rare cinematic celebration of Black female creativity and a moving elegy for a generation of lost African American men.

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Cauleen Smith

Director

Toby Smith

Pica Sullivan

April Barnett

Tobi

Will Power

Malik

Channel Schafer

Gloria Sullivan

Salim Akil

Mr. Yamada

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Derek Smith

Slant Magazine

Cauleen Smith’s overlooked DIY classic from 1998 is a potent examination of the power of art and love in the midst of social upheaval.

Aug 30, 2023

Full Review

Melissa Anderson

4Columns

Low-key yet capacious, Drylongso is an affectionate art-school razz; a study of female friendship; a reflection on gender, race, & violence; a murder mystery; and a portrait of Oakland. Among its many pleasures, it reveals the unexpected in the everyday.

Mar 17, 2023

Full Review

Lisa Kennedy

New York Times

Smith braids politics, friendship and romance throughout “Drylongso.”

Mar 16, 2023

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Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

This isn’t a film just about death, rather it is about how Pica and her friend Tobi find the strength to thrive personally and artistically in a hostile world.

Feb 13, 2024

Full Review

Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

...its variably professional actors make for some awkward moments. But as a sort of mosaic, loosely narrative-driven but digressive and observant, it feels like an invaluable, hand-sculpted take on a particular time and place...

Sep 19, 2023

Full Review

Michael J. Casey

Boulder Weekly

An offering from the heart.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 26, 2023

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Synopsis

A lost treasure of 1990s DIY filmmaking, Cauleen Smith's Drylongso embeds an incisive look at racial injustice within a lovingly handmade buddy movie/murder mystery/ romance. Alarmed by the rate at which the young Black men around her are dying--indeed, "becoming extinct," as she sees it--brash Oakland art student Pica (Toby Smith) attempts to preserve their existence in Polaroid snapshots, along the way forging a friendship with a woman in an abusive relationship (April Barnett), experiencing love and loss, and being drawn into the search for a serial killer who is terrorizing the city. Capturing the vibrant community spirit of Oakland in the nineties, Smith crafts both a rare cinematic celebration of Black female creativity and a moving elegy for a generation of lost African American men.

Director: Cauleen Smith
Screenwriter: Cauleen Smith, Salim Akil
Distributor: The Asylum
Production Co: Nation Sack Filmworks Production
Rating: R (Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 29, 1998, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Mar 17, 2023
Box Office (Gross USA): $15.7K
Sound Mix: Mono

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