AMERICAN INDEPENDENT COMPETITION - NARRATIVE FEATURES
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BLACKBIRD
USA, 2007, 99 MIN
DIRECTED BY ADAM RAPP
Southeast Premiere
When we are introduced to Bayliss (Paul Sparks), a Gulf War veteran and junkie, he’s hit rock bottom. Murl (Michael Shannon), a stranger in a bar comes along to help sort Bayliss’s life out. Froggy (Gillian Jacobs) steps off a bus with no money and homeless, taking a job as a stripper. When Bayliss meets Froggy in the club, an unexpected relationship begins. The two embark on a delicate romance together based on a simple need for acceptance and support, even though they are still broken and addicted. Darkness hovers over their drug-infected lives, but their love shines a hopeful light at the end of the tunnel. Adam Rapp adapted the screen version of Blackbird from his own Off Broadway production, delivering an extraordinary drama with outstanding performances, including Paul Sparks’s rendering of Bayliss (which landed him a Drama Desk nomination). Rapp and Sparks have collaborated in dozens of stage productions in New York, and bring their combined magic to this incredibly powerful and disturbing film.