The world of the Harlem Renaissance becomes an emotional lifeline for a troubled young college student (Anthony Mackie) in this smart and passionate debut feature by Rodney Evans. As a gay black man, the hero feels doubly isolated: macho classmates in his African-American studies course consider him a disgrace to the race, while his uncertain white lover may covet him for his skin color. But a window opens when he meets an elderly homeless man (Roger Robinson) who turns out to be poet and artist Bruce Nugent, once a colleague of Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. With its black-and-white flashbacks and relentlessly earnest tone, this sometimes threatens to become a PBS documentary, yet its script is exceptionally fluid, tracing the tributaries of art, race, and sexuality that feed one’s sense of self. 90 min. Landmark’s Century Center. Evans will answer questions after the 7 PM screening on Friday and introduce the 9:10 screenings on Friday and Saturday.