I have seen too many movies, more than any normal person should have. Because of this, I am always on the lookout for something fresh. My latest obsession has been exploring the niche of films in the superhero genre that examines the gifted as people struggling with their powers, not in some glossy Marvel universe, but in everyday life, with their feet firmly planted on the ground. The consequences of their abilities are more devastating, terrible, and beautiful in this environment. Fast Color is the best movie I have found that explores this, surpassing the show The Boys and the terrific film Freaks. A haunting exploration of three generations of super-enabled black women that are struggling to reconstruct their damaged relationships, while realizing their powers may hold the key to saving the world.
Gugu Mbatha-Raw plays Ruth, in an amazing performance as a drug-addicted young woman who has yet to come to terms with her extraordinary abilities. On the run from unnamed government forces who recognize her power, she is forced to return home to her mother Bo (Lorraine Taussaint) and her abandoned daughter Lila (Saniyya Sidney). Set in a dystopian future when it no longer rains and supermarket shelves are (familiarly) bare, humanity has been reduced to a meager existence, with little hope for the future. Beautiful cinematography, spare but impactful special effects, and a great score allow the direction and simple, slow-burning plot to shine. It's a story that features three women of color, yet it transcends ethnicity. Women trying to overcome past trauma, reconnect, and empower each other. It's a moving family drama, a supernatural thriller, and yes, a superhero movie, of perhaps the best kind.
Any discussion of this film has to look at the mismanagement that plagued its release. Writer-director Julia Hart, and husband Jordan Horowitz (Oscar-nominated producer of La La Land) gave this SXSW darling indie cred that should have ensured it a national release. Amazingly, there were no takers. Studios did not know what to do with the film or how to market it, worrying that a girl-power movie anchored by black female leads could not find an audience. Lionsgate finally picked it up, but botched its release, moving it to April 19th, a week before a little movie called Avengers: Infinity War. It all went sideways for Fast Color after that. It made $76,000 in 25 limited markets. It picked up somewhat of a cult following on DVD and streaming, growing by word of mouth.
This is a film that begs for a sequel, and its Cinderella story is continuing. It is currently in pre-production as a new Amazon prime original series, with Viola Davis producing. I don't want to spoil the emotional ending of the movie, but as Bo says, I have a gift. It was passed down to me by my mother and her mother before her… you're scared because the world is dying, and you don't know how to fix it. But I do… a new world is coming, but this is only the beginning. Let's hope this is the beginning of something special for this creative, moving story, a superhero movie tailor-made for the crazy, turbulent times we are living in.
Patricia Pirillo