Opposites do indeed attract for two New York African-American college students in this gay romance from first time feature director Kirk Shannon-Butts that's as unpredictable as it is unlikely. While waiting to meet a schoolmate at a Harlem coffeehouse, strait-laced Los Angeles transplant Keith finds himself drawn into a conversation about hip-hop's merits (or lack there-of) with an outgoing street smart urbanite named Nathan. At first uncertain of Nathan's motives (Is he flirting? Is this a con?), Keith initially responds with arrogance and bitchy disrespect before giving in to curiosity and attraction. The two set out on a motorcycle road trip out of the city and into the woods, where their romance is enabled and complicated by some pot smoking, a nude swim, yet more arguments and at least one surprise arrival. With sublime, fresh storytelling and supremely drawn young African-American characters, Blueprint establishes Shannon-Butts as a talent to watch. Having already been compared to such modern classics as Old Joy and Happy Together, Blueprint lays out a type of queer relationship that's rarely depicted in film, all with an intricately designed narrative written with precocious intelligence and spiced by conflict and verbal sparring. - Lawrence Ferber.



USA, 2006, 75mins, drama in English, Shannon-Butts, dir.