Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Tongues Untied

Play trailer Poster for Tongues Untied 1989 55m Documentary LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
100% Tomatometer 6 Reviews 51% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Filmmaker Marlon Riggs gives a voice to communities of gay black men, presenting their cultures and perspectives on the world as they confront racism, homophobia and marginalization.

Critics Reviews

View More
Wally Hammond Time Out 08/23/2010
At heart, it's a celebratory film which buzzes with intelligence, unashamed emotion, adrenalin, and that strange tenderness forged in suffering. Go to Full Review Steve McKinney Alabama Forum 05/04/2023
The result -- moving, gripping, engulfing -- is no less than stunning. Go to Full Review Brian Susbielles InSession Film 03/06/2023
Riggs was a gay Black man who documented major racism and homophobia towards gay Black men... Go to Full Review Cary Alan Johnson Gay Community News (Boston) 08/26/2022
Tongues Untied is a Black gay time capsule. It is Marlon Riggs’ gift to our community, and the culture it embodies is our collective gift to the double brothers of tomorrow. Go to Full Review Mattie Lucas From the Front Row 06/07/2022
A bracing statement of self-identity and a towering work of self-expression and self-reflection, beautifully capturing a time and place yet reverberating through the decades as a work by an artist boldly stating his Black queerness. Go to Full Review Alex Castro Senses of Cinema 07/30/2010
Tongues weaves poetry, performance, popular culture, personal testimony and history in a complex pattern that emerges as an essentially personal statement. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
PridePosterStudios 09/20/2023 Important voices, important messages, but the delivery is too obscure and unengaging to get them across. See more 06/23/2012 "Special Interest" indeed. A daring foray into the deep, dark forest where black queens and SNAP! divas frolick. Disturbing in whole, touching in parts. Sitting through this film is nothing short of serving in a leper colony as far as building tolerance is concerned. See more 02/13/2012 The display of groundbreaking material is not enough to get past a distinct lack of filmmaking skill. See more 02/04/2012 Calling this a documentary is a stretch. And I think this type of thing works better as live performance art than it does a film. See more 08/29/2011 An all right movie with a strong message. The poems are good. See more 09/15/2009 I think it's only available in VHS, and I am really glad that I got to watch this. It's more revolutionary and more rebellious than Paris Is Burning; it is a poetic and insightful semi-documentary about how it is to be gay and black. Sure, I can somehow relate to what they go through because I am also gay and belong to a visible minority. We as gay non-white men have not much images of ourselves in the media, movies, literature, etc. It's mostly representations of gay white men. My most favorite scene is when the gay black men give us lessons in the different ways to snap our fingers. Oh snap, girlfriend. See more Read all reviews
Tongues Untied

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

View All

Marlon Riggs

Director

Vivian Kleiman

Cinematographer

Marlon Riggs

Cinematographer
View All

Tongues Untied

Tongues Untied (1989) Tongues Untied (1989) Tongues Untied (1989) Tongues Untied (1989) Tongues Untied (1989) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Filmmaker Marlon Riggs gives a voice to communities of gay black men, presenting their cultures and perspectives on the world as they confront racism, homophobia and marginalization.
Director
Marlon Riggs
Genre
Documentary, LGBTQ+
Original Language
English
Runtime
55m
Sound Mix
Mono