Movie Review - The Breeding

For many, the term "breeding" refers to the showcase of animals like at a dog competition to determine the quality of their bodies. For others, breeding refers to a sex act, a sex act involving even more intimate or unprotected intercourse for the purpose of making babies or establishing dominance. Unfortunately, the word was used during the times of slavery as a combination of both. Slave masters used the word to determine the quality of black people, as well as a way of controlling their sexual activity. This film, directed by Daniel Armando, written by Dane Harrington Joseph, and produced by Dwight Allen O'Neal, is attempting to comment on this term, its history and its implication on gay black men today. Armando, Joseph and O'Neal are the trio behind Novo Novus Productions, a company that wants to highlight the LGBTQ community of color. As such, this movie sets itself as a kind of modern-day version of 12 Years a Slave meets Paul Verhoeven's Elle or a kind of gay-take on Misery meets Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs.

Marcus Bellamy stars as Thomas, an artist who does drawings. He isn't employed or have any kind of day job. He is in talks with an art gallery that might showcase his work or help him to sell it. In the meantime, he lives rent-free in Harlem with his boyfriend who has a good job. Thomas does have a sketchbook filled with pencil drawings akin to Tom of Finland but involving interracial relationships between men. He seems to be into erotic cartoons. He seems also to be into role play, or the kind of sex where the participants act as certain characters. Apparently, his boyfriend doesn't do role play, so instead Thomas has to go get it elsewhere. Yes, Thomas has affairs with all sorts of men and typically his role play goes into the BDSM territory.

One day, Thomas is at the art gallery checking out a show when he meets a man named Lee, played by Joe MacDougal. Lee looks like a middle-age, white man with some kind of wealth. He's not rich but he seems to do well, well enough to possibly buy art in an art gallery. He shows an interest in Thomas, but not for his artistic talents. In a phone sex session, Lee uses very racist expressions toward Thomas. Lee likes to role play too, but every time he does so, he plays the role of slave master and he likes young black men to play the role of slave.

Lee is also into BDSM but in extreme forms where there is no safe word and in fact there is no consent. Lee essentially kidnaps Thomas, imprisons him in a cage and subjugates, as well as tortures him, eventually putting him chains and compelling him to work for him with chores and obviously sex. This occurs over the course of two months, so it's like "2 Months a Slave." The time that Annie held Paul captive in Misery might be two months, if not longer. However, the  twist here is that Thomas stops fighting and perhaps likes the subjugation or possibly starts to develop feelings for his captor in a kind of Stockholm Syndrome.

It's a similar twist as in Elle or Straw Dogs, even though both of those films aren't about kidnapping a person or necessarily holding them hostage. What Lee does to Thomas is also akin to rape, which is what both Elle and Straw Dogs tackle. Yet, one could argue that Thomas isn't raped because he does agree to have sex with Lee, but only after enduring days, if not weeks of torture. One would therefore lose the argument because Thomas is still chained and a prisoner during the sex, so technically what Lee does is a type of statutory rape. Not fighting back and not saying no don't mean that you are consenting.

One could also argue that this isn't BDSM either. Even though many in the BDSM community use chains, whips and other forms of torture, it's still all consensual. Both parties agree and both parties understand the limits. That initially isn't the case here. Where that goes is the source of controversy. Can a loving relationship develop from where this one starts? It's not a new question. In fact, there is a term called "forced seduction" that encapsulates the phenomenon and one of the most famous examples in American culture came from the soap opera General Hospital. Luke and Laura were a couple in love, even though the relationship started with Luke raping Laura.

The difference though comes through the rapist's regret and genuine contrition. That is not the case for Lee. He feels no guilt or sorrow for what he's doing or for what he's done. The difference could also come from the rapist's ignorance and sheer belief that he does have consent, which is arguably the case for the titular character in Jefferson in Paris (1995), which was based on the real-life relationship of Thomas Jefferson and his slave Sally Hemmings set in the late 18th century. Over 200 years ago, the notion of statutory rape wasn't a term that people perhaps understood. Yes, she was his slave, but their relationship wasn't rooted in violence, which is not the case for Lee here either.

Joseph's script doesn't leave any room for nuance or ambiguity. Lee is a racist, sexual predator and most likely a psychopath with a slave fetish. This would be fine as a character, if this film wanted to be a horror flick with a crazy person at its center. There have been plenty of horror films where people are taken hostage and tortured. Usually, the victims are women as in the case with Don't Breathe (2016) or Bad Samaritan (2018). It's rare that the victim is a guy unless it's an extreme, gory flick like Saw (2004) or a revenge movie like Oldboy (2003). Misery is probably the best and most popular example of a horror film where a man is held hostage and tortured by an adoring kidnapper.

There have been a few independent films that have had men or boys in hostage situations by adoring kidnappers. Sam Zalutsky's You Belong to Me (2008), Markus Schleinzer's Michael (2012) and Rob Moretti's Truth (2014) are the only examples that I've seen. All those examples though give more nuanced or more three-dimensional depictions of their so-called villains. If they're not sympathetic, they're at least empathetic to those villains. Here, Lee isn't sympathetic nor empathetic. Lee doesn't feel human as he comes across more as a concept than an actual fleshed-out character.

This too would be fine, if the character of Thomas was a bit more fleshed out. There's no examination of why Thomas is attracted to particularly this kind of racist role play and even why he goes along with the eventual, forced seduction and subservient position. If the filmmakers don't feel like trying to explain why Thomas feels the way he does, then they should at least confront it in some kind of way. The third act of this film is so rushed in terms of the fallout of Thomas' veritable enslavement and rape that it doesn't have time for a confrontation. There essentially is no third act. It simply ends with a trite comment and no real reflection.

What hurts the film is probably a secondary story that is happening at the same time as the main story with Thomas. At the art gallery, there is a curator named Jackson, played by Patrick Kuzara. The secondary story focuses on Jackson and his possible fetish with black men and wanting to exploit them for his art project, which includes capturing them having a sex act on camera. I understand that the fetishizing and exploitation of the black body is a theme that is at the core of what is happening between Thomas and Lee, but that idea doesn't need to be underlined. Plus, Jackson's story feels detached from what's happening to Thomas and doesn't dovetail as well as the film might want. There was a film about a gay man held hostage called The 24th Day, which was just about the gay man and his kidnapper and no other characters. It might not have been as cinematic as this one, but it was a stronger character study.

David J. Cork (Bi: The Webseries and Daddyhunt: The Serial) co-stars as Amadi, the boyfriend of Thomas who works at a TV news station. A scene that reveals Amadi as being asthmatic is very well done. It's a shame that this movie doesn't do more with him, especially when Thomas is kidnapped or even after. Aside from that one asthmatic scene, Amadi is rather brushed off.

Not Rated but contains intense sexuality and nudity.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 28 mins.

Available on DVD and VOD.