Review by Victoria Angelique

Imagine a friend inviting you to a barbecue in 1988 Detroit hosted by a gay man named Larry and then you will understand the point of view of the main character Patrice as she has to argue with her inner thoughts verses the world around her in DIFFERENT WORLDS: SUMMER HEAT. In the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis, where the propaganda is making even people like Patrice suddenly begin remembering that she was raised in the church without being able to quote exact scripture. 

This exact era was depicted perfectly in this film through the point of view of an outsider witnessing what the fear mongering was doing to the LGBTQ community. Patrice was unexpectedly flung into this scenario by her friend, which brought her defenses up as she began to rationalize her judgments against every person rather than listen to the stories that revealed deep hypocrisies. One woman mentioned that she was also raised in the church, but her mother used her as a check from the welfare system and did drugs all week long. This same woman was kicked out as soon as her mother learned she was a lesbian and condemned.

This film gives a powerful lesson about judgement, which shows that if we lift the roofs off of other people’s homes that no one would have the right to judge another person. This comes through in the most powerful character, Larry, who is the voice of reason. He starts off as the fun jokester, the person that the viewer wouldn’t think would be the voice of reason by the end of the film. His party was essentially ruined through all the tension and fighting, to the point that he burnt the burgers that he bragged about, as he had to calm everyone down. Everyone needs a Larry in their life, the person that worries about other people and genuinely cares about people. Larry stated that he tries to live as a good Christian, which means loving everyone without judgement.