A black doctor ex-convict returns to the all-white town he knows as home and discovers a deadly disease threatening the citizens. He must fight prejudice and time if he is to save the town.
Acting
Philip Michael Thomas carries surprising gravitas.
Direction
Durston blends message movie with exploitation tension.
Production
Low budget island setting amplifies claustrophobia.
Director
David E. Durston
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Philip Michael Thomas would later star in 'Miami Vice' and reportedly turned down 'Purple Rain' to do it. His second doctor role in two years after 'Come Back, Charleston Blue.'
Made during the blaxploitation boom but distributed by exploitation house Cannon, 'Stigma' sits awkwardly between message movie and drive-in fare—part of a brief wave of black-led genre films with social axes to grind.
US
