Sightlines · reception

How Drylongso was received

1999 · Cauleen Smith · Drylongso on Sightlines

The arc

It charmed Sundance, SXSW and Urbanworld in 1999 and earned Cauleen Smith an Independent Spirit 'Someone to Watch' nod — then got no real distribution and effectively vanished for two decades, until a 2022 4K restoration (Criterion, Janus and the Academy) and a 2023 theatrical re-release turned it into one of the great rediscoveries of '90s Black independent cinema.

Its footprint

The title itself does a lot of cultural work — it's a Gullah word meaning 'ordinary,' quoted in practically every review — and since the restoration the film has become a go-to exhibit in the conversation about how many '90s Black indies were simply never given distribution.

Where it stands

A lost-then-found cult object turned canon climber: Criterion-approved, Letterboxd-beloved, and now routinely shelved in cinephile memory alongside the L.A. Rebellion lineage it grew out of.

Did you know? Smith co-wrote the film with Salim Akil, who went on to direct Jumping the Broom and develop the Black Lightning TV series — and Drylongso remains Smith's only narrative feature, as she pivoted to a celebrated career as a gallery and experimental filmmaker.

Named by the director

• Killer of Sheep (1977) — Smith has said it was the one L.A. Rebellion film she could actually see coming up, calling it a beautiful depiction of Black people trying to live and one of the most important films of the twentieth century.
• Charles Burnett — Smith cited Burnett's embedded, community-level way of seeing — kids playing, people loving, guys trying to make a buck — as something she hoped to pay homage to.