Film Highlights Brothers On the “Down-Low”: What’s Its Purpose?

.

“Cover” is a film that gives you a look into a subculture that frightens many African-American women. Valerie Maas (Aunjanue Ellis) and her husband Dutch (Raz Adoti) decide to move their family from Atlanta to Philadelphia so that Dutch may advance in his career as a clinical therapist.

Everything seems to be going well as they begin to move up the social ladder of Philadelphia and become members of the city’s upper echelon of professionals. Suddenly, things begin to change and Valerie suspects that her husband may be cheating on her. As Valerie unveils more revelations about her husband’s activities, she grows increasingly more suspicious. Her suspicions are confirmed in an extremely unexpected turn of events that will leave most viewers shocked.

As a heteros*xual man, the film opened my eyes on the plight that black women face as it pertains to fearing whether or not their man is on the “down-low.” I was distraught by the thought of knowing there are women in this world that have had to deal with something so shattering. The first person who came to my mind after watching the film was reputable author Terry McMillan, who discovered her husband was gay. I even began to question the behavior of some of my past male associates. The movie is a real eye opener for heteros*xual men who are often tired of defending their s*xuality.  After watching it, you may begin to understand the paranoia black women face regarding the matter. Although the film was released in 2007, I feel like it should be a viewing staple for the African-American community. But I’ve often wondered if the film was created to simply play on the phenomenon or to inform women of the phenomenon and to have an open conversation about it.

Why do you believe the film was created?

Malcolm Morrow, a Your Black World Network contributor, is a senior, criminal justice major at The University of Southern Miss.