Beyond and Light (2014)

You might think this is just another love story. Although it has every aspect of one in it the main theme here is much more sophisticated. This movie is about living a lie. Being somebody you don't want to be and about meeting the one that can help you to find yourself. The real you. Beyond the lights shows the sociological and psychological tricks in the showbiz and how fake it actually is.

The story focuses on Noni, an British female R&B singer of mixed race parents who struggled against a heavier burden of competition with the racial prejudice on her. Now all grown up, she has made it in the USA, a famous and successful singer, now the girlfriend of a famous rapper. But she feels she's only being taken advantages of and not being considered as a person. After winning an award one night, she instead tries to commit suicide by jumping from her apartment balcony. A police officer Kaz, who was replacing a friend for a bodyguard detail, steps in and helps her from falling. Although Kaz initially avoids Noni because he was forced to lie at a subsequent press conference, they eventually become close. Kaz convinces Noni to be more courageous and stand up for herself, to have her boyfriend treat her better, and to insist that her songs be included in her next album. She musters up courage and softly breaks up with the rapper. Noni and Kaz then hook up and become a couple.



I appreciate the fact that the movie didn't just rest on the main plot of boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl scenario. The sub- plot was very intriguing. I enjoyed the director/writer's exploration and vivid illustration concerning the exploitation of females in the music industry. Very raw, very unapologetic and thought provoking.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw is Mesmerizing. She also starred in Belle and totally captivated me with her intensity and ability to convey multi-layered and complex feelings of varied intensities. After seeing Beyond the Lights, I am even more impressed with her abilities and ever-refining raw talent. The entire cast was very good - especially co-lead Nate Parker who managed to overcome some of his sermonizing dialog to make his officer with political ambitions by-way-of-his-father become a bit more real than the cliché the writing of his character set him up for.

6.6/10·IMDb
81%·Rotten Tomatoes
73%·Metacritic
7.5
/10 - Verdict