IN AN L.A. STATE OF MIND // A FILM REVIEW OF "PINK OPAQUE"
There's a quiet charm to PINK OPAQUE, the new film that marks writer/director Derrick Perry's feature film debut. There's stirring music, beautifully shot corridors, close embraces and at the heart of it, the dreams of a young black filmmaker trying to make it on his own. Elijah Boothe plays Travis Wolfe, the filmmaker who's stuck in a rut as he's seemingly unable to finish his graduate film project. His Professor (Dave Huber) minces few words when he tells Travis that he won't graduate until he brings him "something good." Time is against him and he is still struggling to find his actual "vision." His girlfriend Kristen (Ruby Park) is an Asian designer who is dating Travis against her brother Bobby's wishes (Daniel C.). Seems that Bobby holds a lot of misplaced racist energy inside of him and he doesn't want his sister to have anything to do with a young black man. While trying to finish his film, Travis meeting a long-lost Uncle named Robin (Chaim Dunbar), a successful Hollywood producer with problems of his own and may add more onto Travis than he's ready to take on.
There are a lot of strong, positive things that work in PINK OPAQUE. Unfortunately, there's just as many things that don't work. Starting off with what does work is its two leads. Elijah Boothe and Ruby Park both share a natural charisma onscreen and have a sharp chemistry together. It's also very welcome to see how many POC make up the major roles in the cast. This is most definitely a very Los Angeles movie, showcasing the city as a character itself and the casting skillfully shows how diverse the community is. The cinematography by Ryan Van Ert is gorgeous, capturing both the cast and their surroundings with a rhythmic beauty. The music also seems to fit the mood just right, making you smile as you journey along their own journeys.
Director Derrick Perry has a lot to say, and he unfortunately tries to fit far too much of it into the film. By doing so, it losing its focus (especially in the third act) and doesn't finish painting the picture of anything. The main character is a documentary filmmaker trying to highlight the very real homeless crisis in L.A. Strangely, no one seems to think this is a good idea until a terribly stupid studio exec wants to make it into a parody of itself. Because of the filmmaker view, there's some unneeded narration from Travis throughout the film that's more distracting than helpful, especially as it fits cliché after chiché into the actors mouth. The leads and the camera work are strong, but the filmmaker doesn't seem confident in letting them tell the story themselves. The script itself is often clunky as well, filling people with unmotivated decisions and far too many subplots of subplots. Lastly, the acting throughout is wildly uneven, featuring a few actors that are so numbingly bad they threaten to steal away from what is good and lovely about the film.
Luckily in the end, the heart is still there, though you wish it was cared for more than it is. The third act really falls apart, concluding with an extremely rushed ending that leaves neary every thread unsolved. Still, it's a wonderfully diverse, charming film filled with both beautiful cinematography of the California landscape and a strong focus on two well-paired lead actors (Boothe and Park). There's a lot that doesn't work, but I still walked away somewhat enchanted. Let's hope for more BIPOC led films that are filled with stories that don't revolve around racial stereotypes and instead tell unique character perspectives. PINK OPAQUE doesn't quite get there, but much of it is impressive nonetheless.
GRADE: C
WRITTEN BY Derrick Perry, Dave Ragsdale DIRECTED BY Derrick Perry STARRING Elijah Boothe, Ruby Park, Chaim Dunbar, Jeremy Ford, Dave Huber, Daniel C. NOW AVAILABLE ON VOD EVERYWHERE. FOR MORE INFO: PINK OPAQUE