'Beyond the Lights'
Beyond the Lights is a romantic drama film directed and written by Gina Prince-Bythewood about a young mixed race British pop star, Noni (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) managed by her overbearing and over-controlling mother (Minnie Driver). Noni finds love in police officer, Kazam (Nate Parker), who saves her life after her attempted suicide on a hotel balcony, which sparked their relationship. The movie is centered around their struggle to maintain a normal relationship while dealing with the fame and public degradation of Noni.
This movie exceeded a looot of expectations for me. From the trailers to the movie posters around the city I knew for a fact I wasn't going to see this movie, but after giving my girlfriend the pick of any film at our local movie theater I wound up in that seat bracing for the lamest, corniest, fluffiest romance I would ever see. I should have expected nothing less than greatness from the director of Love & Basketball and The Secret Life of Bees. Not only did this film have depth, it was wonderfully directed and acted by the main characters Gugu and Nate. I especially love the abolition of typical movie tropes such as Minnie Driver's character being a bitch just for the sake of being a bitch, and the very realistic manor in which women are constantly sexualized and damn near dehumanized in the media; everything makes sense in this movie, and nothing is unmotivated...except maybe the whole debacle with the white rapper on stage of the award show. That part was just plain stupid. Who in their right mind would have so much comfort in their career that they would do/say some of those things on national TV?
Beyond the Lights appealed to me in ways I never expected a romantic drama ever could. And yes, the ending was generic, but you know what? This movie earned it. My girl was in tears by the end.
86%
Adam Malone