''Twisted'' is a 1996 film written and directed by

Seth Michael Donsky Seth Michael Donsky is an American filmmaker, producer/screenwriter and former journalist. Biography As of 2023 Mr. Donsky's feature screenplay ''Stardusk'', about the life of transgender Andy Warhol Superstar Candy Darling is in pre-productio ...

in his debut. The film, a Don Quixote and Miravista Films production, is a retelling of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

' classic 1838

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...

,'' set in a

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 ...

contemporary underground populated by

drag queens A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part of ...

drug abuse Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, ...

rs and hustlers. The film was an official selection and debuted in 1997 at the 47th

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

, and was also screened as an official selection at the

Seattle International Film Festival The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees. The SIFF runs for more th ...

. Donsky's film was made prior to

Jacob Tierney Jacob Daniel Tierney (born September 26, 1979) is a Canadian actor, director, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for playing Eric in ''Are You Afraid of the Dark?'' (1990–1992) and as the co-writer, director, and executive producer of ...

's similar film ''

Twist Twist may refer to: In arts and entertainment Film, television, and stage * ''Twist'' (2003 film), a 2003 independent film loosely based on Charles Dickens's novel ''Oliver Twist'' * ''Twist'' (2021 film), a 2021 modern rendition of ''Olive ...

'', starring American actor

Nick Stahl Nicolas Kent Stahl (born December 5, 1979) is an American actor. Starting out as a child actor, he gained recognition for his performance in the 1993 film '' The Man Without a Face'', co-starring Mel Gibson. He later transitioned into his adul ...

. Donsky's ''Twisted'' was re-discovered by the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

in 2013, included in their

bicentenary film series and subsequently accepted into their permanent film collection.

Synopsis

William Hickey stars as Andre, a lecherous brothel owner who trades in young men. Exploiting his young charges through paternalism and drugs, Andre sets his sights on Lee (Keivyn McNeil Graves), a ten-year-old, black, runaway orphan. Through Andre, Lee quickly becomes immersed in New York's sleazy underbelly of a drug dealer (

Anthony Crivello Anthony Crivello (born August 2, 1955) is an American actor who has appeared in the original cast of several Broadway shows, including ''Les Misérables'', '' Kiss of the Spider Woman'', '' Golden Boy'', ''Marie Christine'', and '' The News''. ...

stars as "Eddie") and street hustlers. The boy's only hope for survival is the aspiring songwriter Angel (

David Norona David Noroña, usually simplified as David Norona, (born December 14, 1972) is a Cuban American actor and director who has appeared in films including ''Though None Go with Me'', TV series including ''The Mentalist'' and '' Jack Ryan'', and various ...

), himself a former hustler. Angel befriends Lee and rescues him from the wiles of Andre's cohort Fine Art (

Jean Loup Wolfman Jean Loup Wolfman (born January 23, 1969) is an American actor, appearing in film, theater, television and commercials. Childhood Jean Loup was born and raised in NYC by his mother Janet Wolfman. He grew up in the downtown scene of 1970 Gree ...

), who attempts to profit on Lee's tender age. Eventually, Andre's petty empire is vanquished by Shiniqua ( Billy Porter), a powerfully wise and glamorous drag queen whose fiercely maternal spirit is every bit the match for the depraved denizens of the brothel.TLA Video's Twisted page
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Cast

* William Hickey as Andre, brothel owner *

as Eddie, drug dealer * David Noroña as Angel, Eddie's boyfriend * Keivyn McNeill Graves as Lee, black runaway orphan * Billy Porter as Shiniqua, drag queen and Angel's friend *

as Arthur 'Fine Art', a hustler *

Ray Aranha Ray Aranha (May 1, 1939 – October 9, 2011) was an American actor, playwright, and stage director. Career Born in Miami, Florida, Aranha appeared in and written numerous stage productions. In 1974, he won a Drama Desk Award for Outstandin ...

as Black Can Man *

Elizabeth Franz Elizabeth Franz (born Betty Jean Frankovich) is an American stage and television actress. Life and career Franz was born Betty Jean Frankovich in Akron, Ohio, the daughter of a factory worker. She won a Tony Award for her role as Linda Lo ...

as Mrs. Bundrass, social Worker * Simon Brook as Undercover Cop * Erik Jensen as Punk * Brenda Pressley as Mrs. Burns, Lee's foster mother *

Eugene Byrd Eugene Byrd (born August 28, 1975) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Wink in the film '' 8 Mile'' and Dr. Clark Edison on the FOX series '' Bones''. Early life Byrd was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Gre ...

as Willus, Mrs. Burns' son * Keisha Howard as Laylene, Willus Burn's girlfriend * Lynn Tanner as Celine Holland, a district attorney * Kelly Coyle as Arthur's Girlfriend * Rose Baum Senerchia as Andre's Mother * Angelo Berkowitz as Brothel Boy * Giovanni Giaconi as Taxi driver * Ross Haines as Arresting Officer

Awards and recognition

''Twisted'' was an official selection at the 47th Berlin International Film Festival and the

. The

(MoMA) New York screened ''Twisted'' in its Cineprobe Series in 1997 and granted the director an honorarium for his work. MoMA screened the film again in 2013 as part of the Museum's celebration of the

' bicentenary film series and inducted the film into their permanent film collection. The film won the Audience Prize at the 12th

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

Film Festival (The Lovers Film Festival, formerly Da Sodoma a Hollywood Torino GLBT Film Festival) and Best First Feature at the

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

Inside Out Film and Video Festival Inside may refer to: * Insider, a member of any group of people of limited number and generally restricted access Film * ''Inside'' (1996 film), an American television film directed by Arthur Penn and starring Eric Stoltz * ''Inside'' (2002 f ...

References

External links

* *
''Twisted''s official page at the Berlin Film Festival
* Trailer {{DEFAULTSORT:Twisted (1996 Film) 1996 films 1996 directorial debut films American drama films American LGBT-related films 1996 LGBT-related films Films based on Oliver Twist 1990s English-language films 1990s American films