The phenomenon of "key parties" dates back to the swingers culture of the '70s, and ever since it has been an object of fascination in pop culture, from The Ice Storm to the shortlived 2008 TV series Swingtown. For Nashville filmmaker Howard L. Bell IV, those keys are opening a lot of doors. They helped him turn what was initially a short project into a feature film that's opening Friday for a week's run at the Hollywood 27.
That film is Keyed, billed as "A Deadly Game of Sex, Lies, Betrayal" and made with a roster of local cast and crew. Many films, TV shows and books have exploited the R-rated possibilities in the basic premise: Random men drop keys into a common bowl, and when the evening concludes, women pick the keys from the bowl and then match with the owners for a night of intimacy. But Bell discovered something when he presented his first short version of "Keyed" in 2010.
"People wanted to know more about the characters, their lives and what happened to them beyond the key parties," Bell tells the Scene. "Plus I wanted to tell more of the story. I was interested in creating a complete film where you had an attractive cast of black adults whose lives were varied, their stories were intriguing, and audiences would care what happened to them."
The result manages the difficult task of handling its adult subject matter in an appealing, entertaining way. Keyed follows the lives of several people who are linked to a New Year's Eve key party. These chronicles include a young newlywed (J. Worthy) who's forced into an open relationship with her husband (James "Just One" Thomas). He also happens to be a star athlete in line for a big NFL payday.
There's a club owner (Darius Willis) trying to reconnect with old friends, only to find their renewed association means trouble for everyone. Lastly, there's a loving and devoted father (Reegus Flenory) who suddenly is engulfed in family and fiscal crises; he must reunite with his estranged brother in order to save both his marriage and his daughter.
Bell's film effectively weaves these convoluted tales without confusing the audience. But the movie's biggest strength, the writer-director believes, lies in its deliberate unpredictability.
"Not only did I want to tell a story that would make people think and react, I definitely didn't want something that was predictable," Bell says. "I think when you see films where you can anticipate the endings, or when you know things have been done just to get a certain type of ending, that's laziness on the part of the writer. I'm pretty sure when people see this film, they will be very surprised at how some of these things unfold."
The cast and crew are studded with fresh Music City talent, with the featured players including Jackie Wade, Rico Moody, Chandra Walton, Mykie Foster, Shante King, Dion Harris, LaToya Gardner, Clifton Stewart, Cortez Lee, Ray "Midnite" Williams, Xamon Glasper and Elliot Robinson. Daniel Solammon's original score, which incorporates elements of everything from jazz to R&B, rap and reggae, is supplemented by soundtrack contributions from Rod McGaha, C'Beyohn, Shannon Sanders, Jonathan Winstead, Robin Raynelle, Cole Jonique, The Chinese Connection Dub Embassy, Kiya Lacey, and William "Black Sax" Banks and L.O.X.G.
One collaborator Bell singles out for special recognition is Spencer Glover, who served double duty as director of photography and editor.
"There's no way Keyed could have been done without him," Bell says. "He worked long hours without complaint, was meticulous in terms of making sure both of us were satisfied every day with what we had, and coming out with something that I think does Nashville a service."
A 2009 winner of the Best Feature award at the International Black Film Festival of Nashville for his first feature, The 70 Percent Club, and also known for his previous short "W.W.Y.D. (What Would You Do)," Bell says he's thrilled that Keyed will make its debut in Nashville. But he's also well aware of the fickle workings of 21st century film exhibition. He urges audiences to turn out opening weekend, to ensure more bookings and a healthy reception on home video and other ancillaries.
"We need the community to come out strong for the opening weekend, especially Friday and Saturday," Bell says. "I feel we have a compelling feature — one that's a quality work, period, not just a good film for an independent or underground project. Getting it shown at Regal is a good first step, but we ultimately want to get it into theaters everywhere, and the only way to do that is to show there's an audience out there that's receptive to it and will support it."
Email arts@nashvillescene.com.
