Dave Cunningham
Fast Color is a 2018 American indie drama coming to Netflix on December 11th. If you’re looking for something new to watch this weekend, this quiet film might be just the ticket. Fast Color is a character-driven story with a hugely talented cast, set in an America of the future where rain is but a distant memory, it follows the journey of a woman, Ruth, played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who has supernatural powers. The difference between this and other superhero movies is that the story tends to focus on the character rather than the superpower. The power is just something she has to deal with. We follow her story as she makes her way home to reunite with her mother and her daughter. Along the way she meets a scientist, Bill, played by Christopher Denham, who wants to study her and tries to take her blood – I mean, come on Bill, that’s just rude! – but she escapes him. After that, the local sheriff gets involved, but luckily he is on Ruth’s side and contacts her mother Bo, played by Lorraine Toussaint, to warn them that Bill is trying to find her.
We learn that Bo, and Ruth’s daughter Lila, played by Saniyya Sidney, also have superpowers, and they both try to help Ruth to control hers before she leaves to escape the scientist again. When she returns she discovers that Bill has taken Lila. (What is with Bill kidnapping everyone?) So Ruth, Bo, and the sheriff set out to rescue her.
A really lovely superhero movie that isn’t really about superheroes at all, but more about the bond between mothers and daughters and the importance of emotional healing.
