“The Brother Always Dies First”: on sex, death, and cinematic depictions of race

NOTE: This essay is thirty years in the making. It is a mixture of facts, theory, observations, perspectives and faith. I will try to differentiate between them. I cannot say everything theoretical is true. I can say this is genuinely the way I see the world. Because of the complexity of thought and the time-hopping nature of the narrative, it is also not as organized as it would be if, for instance, I were writing a book. This isn’t stream of consciousness, but I do ask your indulgence, just a bit.