Beyond the Lights is the latest movie written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. This film had been in the making since 2007 and was first premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. The movie starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nate Parker, Danny Glover and Minnie Driver is set in the world of music.
The main character Noni has been struggling to find her personal voice in her music, as it is tightly controlled by her mother who also acts as her manager. An unlikely romance begins when the Kaz, an L.A. cop, saves Noni from a suicide dive off her hotel balcony. Kaz seems to be the only one concerned for Noni’s emotional problems while her mother keeps filling her schedule up with music video shoots, interviews and performances. When Noni can no longer handle the pressure, she elopes with Kaz to Mexico to find quietness so that she can strip away the layers of her hyper-sexualized marketing and her constructed public image in pursuit of her true self. The movie opens with a prologue set in London in 1998. The young Noni takes stage to perform in an important talent show, singing Nina Simone’s “Blackbird”. When she wins runner up, her mother orders her to throw the trophy away and this serves to be the foundation in why Noni feels so insecure and her need to constantly please those around her. In the movie, the song “Blackbird” is used as a symbol and catalyst for Noni to free herself because throught this song, she is finally able to sing from her soul. In the end, Noni gets to be recognized for the true artist that she is.
The success of this film lies in exploring themes that are highly relatable – the struggle to maintain integrity and the search for one’s true identity that is not laced with material gains. Using the idea of reality versus fantasy, Noni feels that Kaz is the only one who really “sees” her and loves her and although Kaz has struggles of his own their journey of finding themselves led them to become authentic people. This movie is especially fitting in our culture where we are constantly bombarded with sexualized images of female pop stars. Gina is not afraid to tackle the problem face on and does so by highlighting the ins and outs of the industry and the price that female artists have to pay. In order to sell records, one has to sacrifice their integrity and grind on stage wearing revealing clothing.
The performances from the actors only added to the drama of the film. Gugu’s ability to evoke sexual rawness in earlier scenes and vulnerability in others shows the depth of her acting range while Nate’s ability to portray a strong and determined character lends to making the characters a good match for each other. Of course, Glover and Driver’s portrayal of the parents also shines through as they gave dimension and humanity to the villainous-type roles. It is easy to see that Glover and Driver’s characters are strongly influenced by their impulse to help their children achieve the best, which unfortunately lead them astray from what their children really wanted. With great cameo appearances such as BET’s CEO Debra Lee, Chaka Khan, Don Lemon, Roland Martin and Gayle King, this film is definitely one to look out for in the theatre.
-Summer Luk
