Queer Black men open up about body image in ‘Body Language’
“Queer Black men sharing their lives is a revolutionary act!” ROCK MY SOUL Media has released BODY LANGUAGE, a documentary short directed by Brooklyn-based media creator and director Odu Adamu. The first of its kind, the film explores body image and body experience for Black gay, queer, and same-gender loving men.
BODY LANGUAGE is a candid exchange about body image and shaming for men, told through personal stories, journeys and experiences from J’Bya Clarke, Lynx Onyx, Kyle Jackson, Robert Wright and Will McKinney. Men have their personal journeys from childhood to entering the gay community. This is a dialogue about heartache, pain and healing. BODY LANGUAGE speaks directly to Black queer, gay and same-gender loving men, but the ideas around body perfection and what influences our beliefs are universal.
BODY LANGUAGE is director Odu Adamu’s directorial debut. As part of his first project, Adamu was passionate about sharing voices from his own community. “It’s an honor to share stories from my community,” says Adamu. “Especially on a subject that hasn’t yet been the focus of a documentary.”
We recently had a chat with Odu Adamu and discussed the inspiration for creating BODY LANGUAGE and why he felt it was so important.
Bear World Magazine: How long have you been a filmmaker or interested in filmmaking?
Odu Adamu: Honestly, I have been interested in film and television production for a few years, and every time I had an opportunity, things fell through. So, in 2020 during COVID, I decided to start my own production company, ROCK MY SOUL Media, and started producing content.
In fall 2021, I was selected as one of twelve Brooklyn filmmakers to participate in the BRIC Documentary Intensive Cohort. I produced BODY LANGUAGE as my project, and it’s my first film that’s been released.
BWM: How did the idea for this film come about? What inspired it?
OA: The cohort was fifteen weeks long, and I worked on one project for thirteen of them before “shit happened”… and I had to develop a whole new film. When I realized the first idea wasn’t going to happen, I started wracking my brain. I had a few ideas, but nothing was sticking so I decided to eat lunch. And I will say, I do my best thinking either eating or showering.
The idea instantly downloaded, and I knew body image for Black gay, queer, same gender loving men was it. It’s an issue I have experienced, as well as so many Brothers I know, and no one has really made it a focal point of a project. It was a no brainer!
BWM: What most stood out for you while making this film?
OA: The reality that we really don’t know everything that is going on in someone’s world. One important thing to hold on to when developing an interview protocol is “what don’t you know about the person”.
I’ve known a couple of the men in the documentary for years, and thought I had an idea of what they would say. I was so far off! Some of the stories left me in such surprise because I didn’t have an idea of how they were really experiencing life.
BWM: What is the most important thing you wish for people to take from this film?
OA: That same lesson, and to understand body image differently. A friend asked me how I thought people would feel about me broaching this topic because he said (in his words), “You don’t have body image issues.” And his statement comes from his feeling that I have an appealing body.
I had to first express that we all have an image of our bodies. But body image “issues” are not about the body you have, it’s about your relationship with it. If people can start to consider that, I’ll be pleased.
BWM: What other issues would you like to tackle in future projects? Are you working on anything at the moment?
OA: I am exploring a longer version of BODY LANGUAGE. There were full conversations we didn’t include because they couldn’t fit in ten minutes. There was some rich dialogue about COVID weight gain, and a whole piece on the fetishization of Black men that is so necessary to explore in a future project. But I started out doing music documentary projects, and I look forward to getting back to those roots at some point.
To view an extended trailer of BODY LANGUAGE, CLICK HERE.
For more information about ROCK MY SOUL Media and BODY LANGUAGE, including where to view the entire film, visit www.oduadamu.com.
