SET IT OFF (1996)

Out actress Queen Latifah plays the lesbian character Cleo Simms in SET IT OFF (1996).

SET IT OFF

1996. USA.

 Director: F. Gary Gray

Screenwriters: Takashi Bufford & Kate Lanier

 Starring: Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, Kimberly Elise, John C. McGinley, Blair Underwood & Samantha MacLachlan

SET IT OFF is set in Los Angeles and follows four Black female friends as they attempt to navigate life in a society that is perpetuating their oppression. After one hit too many they decide to rob a bank. One of the women, Frankie (Vivica A. Fox), says “We’re just takin’ away from a system that’s just f—k-ng us all anyway.” The four women aim to get their lives back on track with the money they steal, but things don’t go quite as they’d planned.

Queen Latifah spoke about the film with In Style magazine in 2017, she stated that when she first got the role she “sat down with (her) younger siblings and told them, ‘Listen, I’m playing a gay character. Your classmates might tease you or say negative things about it. But I’m doing it because I believe I can bring positive attention to the gay African-American community.’”

In the film Latifah plays an unapologetically butch lesbian with a sexual appetite that mirrored many male characters of the time. The role was quite ground-breaking, and Latifah taking the part is surprising as well because actors (especially closeted ones) were frequently advised to avoid taking on queer roles in the 80s/90s (Gina Gershon in BOUND [1996] for example). This was largely due to the intense homophobia that had grown through the early years of the AIDS pandemic, and also because, like today, politicians decided to use fear-mongering tactics targeting our community to push their personal political agendas.

New Line Cinema originally passed on SET IT OFF three times before finally agreeing to fund it. The final product ended up becoming so successful that the studio almost immediately greenlit a sequel – though they quickly realised a continuation of the story would look quite different because of the way the film ends.

*Spoilers Ahead*

As in many films with queer female characters, Latifah’s character dies at the end (though, she isn’t the only one). The fact that she wouldn’t be able to do a sequel to the film was one of the reasons Latifah would end up putting a “no death” clause in future film contracts.

SET IT OFF is streaming on Paramount & Fubo (USA), for rent/purchase through AppleTV, and available on DVD/Blu-ray.