Tongues Untied

Marlon Riggs, aided by fellow Black gay men and, notably, Essex Hemphill, frames Black men loving Black men as a radical, emancipatory act. The film intercuts footage of Hemphill reciting his poetry, Riggs recounting his upbringing, scenes of men in social intercourse and dance, and a variety of comic riffs, including a visit to the 'Institute of Snap!thology,' where men learn the art of snapping their fingers: the sling snap, the point snap, the diva snap.