Naked Acts

A long-unseen jewel of 1990s Black independent filmmaking, Bridgett M. Davis’s fearless exploration of Black female agency centers on Cicely (Jake-Ann Jones), the daughter of a former blaxploitation star, whose own foray into acting hits a snag when her role in a low-budget indie film requires her to do a nude scene—forcing her to confront her deep-seated body-image issues, the trauma of sexual assault, and her troubled relationship with her mother. Deftly blending raw drama with whip-smart comedy, NAKED ACTS touches on thorny issues of bodily autonomy and self-realization with a freshness and incisiveness that mark Davis as a pioneer in telling African American women’s stories on-screen with authenticity and insight.