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Drylongso

Play trailer Poster for Drylongso R 1998 1h 26m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 11 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
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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Drylongso

Critics Reviews

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Peter Bradshaw Guardian 05/06/2024
4/5
The charm and distinction of Drylongso lies in its resistance to genre: it isn’t exactly a social-realist drama, nor precisely a thriller, nor specifically a romance. Go to Full Review Derek Smith Slant Magazine 08/30/2023
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. Go to Full Review Melissa Anderson 4Columns 03/17/2023
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. Go to Full Review Marya E. Gates Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack) 02/13/2024
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. Go to Full Review Dennis Harvey 48 Hills 09/19/2023
...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... Go to Full Review Michael J. Casey Boulder Weekly 08/26/2023
4/5
An offering from the heart. Go to Full Review Read all reviews
Drylongso

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Cast & Crew

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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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Drylongso

Drylongso (1998) View more photos

Movie Info

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
Producer
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
Runtime
1h 26m
Sound Mix
Mono