''Rivers Wash Over Me'' is a 2009

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by John G. Young. Young shares the screenplay with

Darien Sills-Evans Darien Evans, better known by his stage name, Darien Sills-Evans, is an American actor, writer, comedian, and director. He is best known for Darien in '' Cosby'' (1998-2000), CSU Tech Foster in ''Third Watch'' (2002-2005) and Andrew in '' The Re ...

. The film was produced by Sills-Evans, with Dexter Davis as executive producer.

Plot

The film touches on

race relations Race relations is a sociological concept that emerged in Chicago in connection with the work of sociologist Robert E. Park and the Chicago race riot of 1919. Race relations designates a paradigm or field in sociology and a legal concept in the ...

incest Incest ( ) is human sexual activity between family members or close relatives. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by affinity (marriage or stepfamily), adoption ...

, drugs, and growing up gay in the American South. A recent

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

transplant, Sequan Greene (Derrick L. Middleton) has been sent to live in

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

after the recent death of his mother. He is brutally raped by his cousin Michael Wilis (Cameron Mitchell Mason). It becomes clear that Michael also is gay - a victim as well as a victimizer. He says, "I can’t be a faggot ...You’re the faggot. You’re my faggot." Sequan is also bullied and beaten up at school. Sequan soon finds a friend in Lori Anderson (Elizabeth Dennis), the girlfriend of drug dealer/basketball player Ahmed Robins (Duane McLaughlin). Lori is the town's "bad girl" who has a heart of gold. Although she freebases, snorts coke throughout the school day, steals guns and sleeps with the town basketball star, she is immediately taken by admiration of Sequan and his brazen nonconformity. Despite Sequan's unwillingness, Lori manages to befriend him, bringing him out of his shell and eventually introducing him to both moonshine and her gay brother, Jake (Aidan Schultz-Meyer).

Cast

* Derrick L. Middleton as Sequan Greene * Aidan Schultz-Meyer as Jake Anderson * Elizabeth Dennis as Lori Anderson *

as Charles King * Cameron Mitchell Mason as Michael Willis * Duane McLaughlin as Ahmed Robins * Pamela Holden Stewart as Alice * Julia Carothers Hughes as Celeste Anderson * Terrance Epps as Coach Williams * Tina Jetter as Charity * Leslie Jones as LuEllen * Paul Kelly as Mr. Hack * Alain Lauture as Skinny Tim Buchanan * Sonequa Martin as Shawna King * Conor Romero as Billy *

Xosha Roquemore Xosha Kai Roquemore ( ; born December 11, 1984) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Jo Ann in '' Precious'' and Tamra in ''The Mindy Project''. Early life and education Roquemore was born in 1984 in Los Angeles, and is name ...

as Racine Buchanan * Chester A. Sims II as Mayor Rickets * Don Striano as Tom Lemmings * Damian Washington as Dwayne * Eric Watson Williams as Deputy Lewis Ratch

References

External links

* * * {{John G. Young 2009 films 2009 drama films American LGBT-related films African-American drama films African-American LGBT-related films Films about drugs Incest in film Films about race and ethnicity 2009 LGBT-related films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films English-language drama films