Pridgen

I can thank my younger brother for defacing me play fighting, swiping me on the subway when I'm broke and letting me star in his short films. Yet, Thursday I sat in the darkened theatre at Anthology Film Archives not knowing what to expect from his latest documentary "Pridgen." Once Muhammad Ali's bodyguard, now dying of AIDS, protagonist Alexander Pridgen suffuses his struggle with a classic star quality. Enthroned nearby, filling his immaculate white tuxedo and wheelchair, I wondered what he thought of audience reactions to his raw life. His effortless one liners "This meal's a dud!", "I want God to make me beautiful like you" contrast with tales of incarceration and cocaine addiction. I left my brother's premiere strangely uplifted, sipping a $12 Greyhound at The Jane Hotel, before realizing it was made with Georgi. You can check out the trailer here.



-Royal