''Twisted'' is a 1996 film written and directed by Seth Michael Donsky 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 novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

' classic 1838

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839 and as a three-volume book in 1838. The story follows the titular orphan, who, ...

,'' set in a

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

contemporary underground populated by drag queens,

drug abuse Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definitions ...

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 (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

, and was also screened as an official selection at the

Seattle International Film Festival The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) is a film festival held annually in Seattle, Washington, United States, since 1976. It usually takes place in late May and/or early June. It is one of the largest festivals in the world, and feature ...

. Donsky's film was made prior to Jacob Tierney's similar film '' Twist'', starring American actor Nick Stahl. 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 (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

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 stars as "Eddie") and street hustlers. The boy's only hope for survival is the aspiring songwriter Angel ( David Norona), himself a former hustler. Angel befriends Lee and rescues him from the wiles of Andre's cohort Fine Art ( Jean Loup Wolfman), who attempts to profit on Lee's young 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 * Anthony Crivello 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 * Jean Loup Wolfman as Arthur 'Fine Art', a hustler * Ray Aranha as Black Can Man *

Elizabeth Franz Elizabeth Franz (born Betty Frankovitch; 1941) is an American stage and television actress. Early years Franz was born Betty Frankovitch in Akron, Ohio. Her Serbo-Croatian father, Joe Frankovitch, worked at an Akron, tire factory. Her half ...

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 his roles as Wink in ''8 Mile (film), 8 Mile'' and List of Bones characters#Clark Edison, Dr. Clark Edison on the Fox Broadcasting Company, FOX series ''Bones (TV series ...

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 ( , ; ; , then ) 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 from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...

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

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

Inside Out Film and Video Festival.

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 LGBTQ-related films 1996 LGBTQ-related films Films based on Oliver Twist 1990s English-language films 1990s American films