Nana's Boys in extreme lockdown

06 Feb 20223

Nana’s Boys is a new feature film about a black gay couple trapped inside their NYC apartment. One of them is a bigshot at a law firm, the other is on the eve of his 30th birthday. They’re both cute and well-built, but their apartment is nothing to write home about. Then, a big blast occurs (the camera shakes a bit) and a news report informs them that Times Square has been decimated and the whole city is under a 24-hour lockdown. Which means that the two lovers, somewhat at odds over things unspoken, must now confront each other. Halfway, there’s an all-too-brief flashback taking place outdoors and a bit later, some welcome shirtless scenes.

The movie is the debut of writer/director Ashton Pina, and stars David J. Cork and Jared Wayne Gladly. The film is truly independent in its production and its thinking, and most of the people involved are black or queer, so it’s easy to admire. It’s just not as easy to enjoy. I think for a film like this to work, the viewer needs to fall in love with the characters, or the actors playing them, or both, because there just isn’t much else going on. The talky script offers a series of revelations, which I won’t spoil, but anyone in any relationship has gone through all the same stuff. Lots of heavy sighs later, the couple have a tender moment by candlelight and heat up some food, and it’s a good thing they have a gas stove, because it’s the only thing working during the power blackout, which, by the end, seems to have been completely forgotten. Throughout, there was just one thing rolling through my mind - where the hell is Nana? The movie could have used her.