In today's America, the fear of political incorrectness is so great that some topics of conversation have become simply taboo. When the members of the wealthy white family that includes the protagonist of The Delta are discussing the flaws of a black politician, the conversation halts as soon as the black servant enters the room. In this society, racial tensions have led the different peoples to live their lives on completely different planes.

In The Delta we make the acquaintance of these separate worlds as they can be found in Tennessee, but anywhere in the USA too. Firstly there is the white upper crust with its beautiful houses, yachting marinas and lovely lives. That wealth is not synonymous with happiness is clear from the life of Lincoln, a Jewish teenager who brings some excitement to his boring existence hanging round with his mates by visiting the favourite pick-up spot of the local gay scene.

That is literally the shadow-side of white and contented America. This spot

cannot tolerate the light of day, but is also a place where the social boundaries of society no longer apply. Here Lincoln meets the immigrant boy Ninh, with whom he has a brief affair. When their paths separate, the films follows Ninh. Ninh prefers to introduce himself in white company as John and is the ultimate underdog. As the son of a black American GI and a Vietnamese mother he is an outsider in any group. His homosexuality is a further estrangement, but it also forms Ninh's passport to circles that he

would otherwise never frequent.

The Delta is the partly autobiographical directing debut by Ira Sachs, who returned to his birthplace Tennessee to make it. There is no doubt that The Delta is a low-budget films. The live sound is sometimes hard to follow and in the darker scenes, the grains on the 16mm image blown up to 35mm can almost be counted. It doesn't matter, because this only serves to increase the authenticity. This is a film made by an insider, who knows where the gays cruise, but also what it is to be taken along by a middle-class businessman to a hotel room for anonymous sex.

Absolutely everything in The Delta is covered by a veil of cheerlessness: from the boring parties of teenagers drinking and smoking grass, the cruising in the gay scene, the sex cinema where singles meet, to the shabby bars that mainly serve unemployed blacks. 'You're so full of shit,' Lincoln's girlfriend sneers when he humiliates her at a party. 'I know.'' So why do you do it?' 'Because it's fun'. In reality he only experiences a few moments of pleasure in the company of Ninh, however short they may be.

If there is a message in The Delta it is this: more interaction between the races can lead to a better or at least more interesting life for both parties. MvdT

The Delta - Monday 3-2, 7.30 PM, Pathe 7, Tuesday 4-2, 1.30 PM, Pathe 7, Thursday 6-2, 2.15 PM, Venster 2, Friday 7-2, 9.45 PM, Filmhuis Liga 68