The feminist film from 1998 is given new life in a digital restoration and remaster now out in select theaters
During recent research for her award-winning Black Film Archive, historian Maya S. Cade rediscovered Bridgett M. Davis’ Naked Acts within the archives of the Indiana University Black Film Center and Archive. Cade championed this independent feminist film, which played very limited screenings upon its original release in 1998, for restoration. Thanks to her advocacy, and support from other organizations, a digital restoration and remaster is now playing in select theaters nationwide. Although the film is decades old, the filmmaker’s voice and the themes within the work seem geared towards today’s audience.
Cece (Jake-Ann Jones) is eager to tell her mother, former Blaxploitation actress Lydia Love (Patricia DeArcy), that she’s been cast in a new film… and she won’t have to take her clothes off for the role. Or so she thinks. Upon further discussion with film producer Marcel (John McKie), Cece is told that the production of this movie about an artist and his models will require nudity. She confronts Joel (Ron Cephas Jones, Luke Cage, This Is Us), her director and former/current paramour, who agrees with Marcel about the nudity being necessary for the work. He tells her it’s “no big deal.”
Here writer/director Davis turns a critical eye on the male gaze and how women’s bodies – particularly Black women’s bodies – tend to be treated in film. Body image is a central theme, as Cece recently lost weight and is reluctant to look at her own naked body, never mind exhibit it for others to see. Through flashback early in the film, the audience is shown hints of childhood sexual abuse, providing context for such a response.
There’s a biting wit to Naked Acts, even as it deals with troubling issues. It’s refreshing to hear such an outspoken female lead. I laughed out loud at the scene of her trying to make herself cry and failing (although this is obviously another effect of her childhood trauma). Cece’s sharp tongue reflects the unflinching viewpoint of the film’s scribe and director.
The generations of women in Cece’s family represent the limited options for Black women in film history. Her grandmother who had little choice in her roles speaks for the actresses of “classic Hollywood” restricted to maid or servant roles. Lydia could take on better roles but was still objectified and exploited within her films. And Cece, in the ‘90s, shows a tendency towards directing (although she may not know it yet) in her desire for a sense of control on set.
In a world in which women continue to be seen as objects by some, Davis’ film shines new light on women in film. Naked Acts is one of the more bracingly honest looks at moviemaking I’ve seen. I’m grateful that we’re offered a new opportunity to celebrate and learn from this fascinating work.
Naked Acts plays at AFS Cinema on June 19 and 24.
