THE MORNING AFTER // A FILM REVIEW OF "TEST PATTERN"
Shatara Michelle Ford's new film TEST PATTERN breaks down and explores a lot in the framework of the film - rape culture, guilt, the failings of the medical industry as well as the spoken and unspoken dynamics between black women and white men. It's an impressive feat to try and tackle all of these subjects at once, especially considering the short running time (slightly less than 90 minutes).
Brittany S. Hall leads the cast as Renesha, a young black woman who has just started a new corporate job and has begun dating a young white tattoo artist named Evan (Will Brill). The opening moments of the film are unsettling, as we see her not quite seem to know where she is or be able to hold a glass as a man kisses her. We then flash back to see Renesha begin her new job and meet Evan at a bar. Evan's not the man in the opening shot; he's gentle and kind and becomes extremely supportive of her everyday life. One evening, Renesha's friend Amber invites her out to a local bar. Evan is not interested in going so he tells her to make it a girls night and to have fun. Everything feels so perfectly perfect. As the evening progresses, two men (both white) hit on Renesha and Amber, with Amber becoming very interested in her guy and Renesha immediately telling hers about her boyfriend and that she wasn't interested. But they all sit around a table and drink anyways, toasting the night away. One of the men offers them some pot and although Renesha hates pot, she partakes anyway (after a little peer pressure that is). Quickly after that, the room begins to spin. She feels drunker than she thought she had been. She can't stand up on her own. Everything quickly comes crashing down and we're suddently in that eerie moment back in the opening moments of the film.
We then move into the second "chapter," if you will, of the story. The next morning, Renesha is dropped off at her house by the man who assaulted her and she confronts what has happened with her worried boyfriend Evan. He comforts her and the next day suggests that they should go to the hospital and get a rape test. The film's title, TEST PATTERN, comes into play within this chapter, as Evan drives Renesha to and from hospital to hospital, finding out quickly how backwards and illogical the American Health Care system is. It's also during this time that the film take a subtle look into each of their actions. Evan, being a white man, is clearly not used to receiving a no for such a simple ask and lashes out his frustrations. Renesha is quiet, shaken and as a black woman has felt the all too familiar feeling of being looked past. At one point, Evan reaches over to touch her leg in comfort and she quickly hits his hand away, even before she can realize what she just did. Her trauma is haunting her and although Evan is trying to do the right thing, his persistence to get this done clouds his ability to truly hear what his own partner next to him wants.
TEST PATTERN feels like a hard fought battle, a loss and a frustrating slice of Americana all at once. The American health care system has failed us all many times over in our times of need, but they especially have failed the black community time and time again. Ford's directing style is hushed nuance over slamming any message across your face, which makes it all the more powerful. Both Brittany S. Hall and Will Brill are great hear, but it's Hall who shines the brightest as she nails every beat and sends every emotion directly to our hearts, sometimes with just a whisper. If it feels all too real, it's because it's real, which makes it even more important to hear stories like this, acknowledge the unjust pain and fight like hell for change.
GRADE: A
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Shatara Michelle Ford STARRING Brittany S. Hall, Will Brill, Gail Bean, Drew Fuller, Ben Levin. OPENING FEBRUARY 19TH IN DIGITAL CINEMAS. FOR MORE INFO: TEST PATTERN