Donsky's Twisted was re-discovered by the Museum of Modern Art in 2013, included in their Charles Dickens 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 tender 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.[1]
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 Seattle International Film Festival. The Museum of Modern Art (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 Charles Dickens' bicentenary film series and inducted the film into their permanent film collection.
The film won the Audience Prize at the 12th TurinLGBT Film Festival (The Lovers Film Festival, formerly Da Sodoma a Hollywood Torino GLBT Film Festival) and Best First Feature at the OttawaLGBTInside Out Film and Video Festival.
