Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Lorraine Toussaint are Sci-Fi Badasses in Fast Color

 

 

One of my favorite classic television shows to watch was Elizabeth McGovern in Bewitched.  I was utterly fascinated by the fact that this woman had supernatural powers that allowed her to manipulate time, events, space and people.  It seemed like such a cool way to exist in this atmosphere we call earth.

In Fast Color, the world is gonna die.  Water is being sold, rationed and Ruth (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is being pursued by scientists ready to dissect her brain for a clearer understanding of how she is able to make the earth move through her uncontrollable seizures.

What makes this all so very interesting is that not only does Ruth possess this ability, but so does her Mom – Bo (Lorraine Toussaint) and her daughter Lila (Saniyya Sidney).  

However, it is when Ruth’s abilities and seizures get heavily out of control that she returns home in hopes of making them stop through the help of Bo.

The indestructible love of parents for their children, the secret interracial relationship and the setup of Ruth, Bo and Lila as sci-fantastical super heroes in a world that is nearing demise are very intriguing and entertaining.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw has a range few actresses possess.  She literally can go from a period piece like Belle to an insecure pop Diva in Beyond The Lights to various Mom/Wife roles in films like Concussion with Will Smith and Ava DuVernay’s A Wrinkle in Time.  The concentration and skill it took to make those seizures believable is no easy feat and is done by Mbatha-Raw with ease. Lorraine Toussaint and David Strahern (who plays understated better than any actor I know) are simply marvelous as the parents quietly protecting their offspring.

Cinematographer Michael Fimognari works his magic with weaving colors and moving objects to make this tale as realistic as humanly possible and succeeds with each trick. Directed and written by Julia Hart, Fast Color (co-written by Hart’s husband LaLa Land’s Jordan Horowitz) gives us an unlikely female empowerment flick with sci-fi edge and an ending very reminiscent of those after credit scenes you have come to expect from a Marvel flick.

Unlike one of the lines “If something is broken – it stays broken,”, Fast Color is a little broken is some spots, but for the most part it’s a film that will emotionally suck you in and leaving you cheering for these three fierce women of color well into the rolling of the credits. Produced by LD Entertainment and Lionsgate, Fast Color is available via Blu-Ray DVD on July 16th.