Image by Daniel Kirsch from Pixabay After having devoted the last few years of my life to consuming thousands of films across decades of cinematic history, I learned there are so many great movies out there that few (if any) people have heard of. In learning this, it’s become clear that devoting a series on this blog to sharing with you my love for films that are (in my humble opinion) underappreciated would be more than worthy my time.
Today I kick off my “Ever Heard of It?” series with a totally unexpected delight of a modern romantic drama: the 2014 film Beyond the Lights, directed by Los Angeles native Gina Prince-Bythewood. Not only because it is a great film, but what better time than the first Sunday of Black History Month to honor a talented African-American filmmaker? So, why is this movie worth your time? Keep reading to find out. 😊 What’s It About [NOTE: This section contains minor spoilers for “Beyond the Lights.” If you’d rather see the film for yourself, skip to the next section.] In Beyond the Lights, our main character is Noni Jean (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) who from a young age is taught by her mother Macy (Minnie Driver) to value nothing less than absolute commitment to one’s passion and strive for nothing less than total victory. Together, these virtues put Noni on a course to achieve fame as a British pop star by her early twenties. And yet, evident by one of the film’s startling first scenes, it is clear that Noni is unhappy with her life. While attempting suicide by jumping off her hotel balcony the night she won an award, she is stopped by young police officer Kaz Nicol (Nate Parker). Despite some initial tensions between Noni and Kaz over how her suicide attempt is dealt with in the media, they begin kindling a friendship and, eventually, a romance in spite of Macy’s stern disapproval. Whereas Noni’s public boyfriend and fellow performing artist Kid Culprit (Machine Gun Kelly) is superficial, Kaz shows genuine interest and offers wholehearted encouragement of Noni’s secretive creative desires to perform songs that she’s written but that are not in line with her pop image. Throughout the film, Noni and Kaz try to keep their relationship from being negatively affected by the pressures of fame, mass media culture, and Macy to little avail. In an effort to get away from it all, Noni is able to discover the essence of her true soul (emotionally and artistically) and gains the courage and confidence to ultimately return to her life in the spotlight despite Kaz’s caution that almost certainly nothing will change. But Noni’s outlook on life and her relationship with her mother has changed. She is able to confront Macy over her skewed perspective on Noni as being a pop star first and her daughter second. She decides to take greater creative control over her career, come out to the public about the truth behind what happened on the balcony, and start a new phase of her life where her and Kaz can be honest about their love for each other. Why It’s Worth Watching Even if you don’t know it, you may have heard of Prince-Bythewood’s directorial debut Love & Basketball. Or perhaps you’ve seen the Netflix original from two years ago The Old Guard, which she directed as well. Both of these films are good in their own right, but for my money Beyond the Lights stands out as the best of her far-from-prolific filmmaking career. Which is why it’s the film that I recommend that you watch more than her others that you watch. Stepping back and reflecting on my viewing of Beyond the Lights, it started making so much sense why I liked it so much. Most evidently is the pure talent exhibited by the film’s two leads, Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Belle, Free State of Jones, Loki) and Nate Parker (Red Tails, The Birth of a Nation). Particularly Mbatha-Raw excels in her portrayal of an aspiring young artist quietly going through intense and severe depression and self-loathing whose chance encounter with Parker’s character catalyzes her change in course for life. Through their slow-going yet passionate affection for one another, Noni and Kaz serve as one of the minimal examples of positive black love and romance that we’ve seen in cinema in recent history (for some others, check out Barry Jenkins’s If Beale Street Could Talk or Eugene Ashe’s Sylvie’s Love). While the actors give it their all here, it is the behind-the-camera direction of Gina Prince-Bythewood (who also wrote the film) that makes Beyond the Lights a truly special romance movie. For one, there is more going on thematically than just two young people falling in love. Mbatha-Raw’s character Noni, on top of dealing with suicidal ideations and the pressures of fame, must come to terms with the toxic nature of her relationship with her mother/manager and forge a new identity as a singer who puts her true heart and soul into her music. In that sense, the film works as both a uniquely told coming-of-age story and a compelling drama as it does a heartwarming romance between two kindred spirits. Upon reflection, what particularly impresses me about Prince-Bythewood’s work here is how she manages to make Noni’s interpersonal conflicts relatable and grounded. On the face of it, watching a young woman deal with worldwide fame as a pop star could come off as tacky, shallow, and/or exploitative in the wrong hands. Fortunately, Prince-Bythewood always emphasizes the humanity of Noni’s journey whether it be through her burgeoning love for Kaz or her search for renewed spirituality in her singing. For these things alone, Beyond the Lights is well worth your time to watch. On a technical level, the film is also very well shot and visually composed without ever drawing attention to it. So, credit to the cinematographer Tami Reiker (The Old Guard, One Night in Miami…) who uses the seven-million-dollar budget to surprising effect. Despite the movie’s small budget and independent nature, it manages to look and feel both grand and epic in scale yet in a specifically intimate and eloquent manner. Reiker apparently understands that Noni’s story shouldn’t feel like a stage play stuck in one or two places. At the same time, however, she grasps the need to tell this story in a world that is up-close and personal, to the point of being almost claustrophobic, in order to convey Noni’s internal obstacles and external pressures. All in all, please take the time on a Sunday afternoon to check out Beyond the Lights. Even if you’re not into romances or coming-of-age flicks, I assure you that the acting, writing, directing, and spirit at the movie’s heart will impress and entertain you. Take a chance on Noni, and you will not be disappointed. Have I convinced you to check out Gina Prince-Bythewood’s Beyond the Lights? What’s a movie that you feel is underappreciated? What opinions of mine do you find absolutely ridiculous? Let me know in the comments below. Until next time, this has been… Yours Truly, Amateur Analyst
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Austin McManusI have no academic or professional background in film production or criticism; I simply love watching and talking about movies. Archives
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