Direction: Shatara Michelle Ford
Country: USA
A searing debut for Shatara Michelle Ford, Test Pattern uses the power of independent cinema to alert for predators of the night and the pestilence of racial discrimination in America.
Her story centers on a Texan interracial couple, Renesha (Brittany S. Hall) and Evan (Will Brill), whose blissful relationship is flustered when the former, a Black woman from Dallas, is drugged and raped by a white man she met at a bar. If the intermittent flashbacks of non-consensual sex are infuriating, then the way she’s treated afterwards by a negligent, racist health care system becomes nearly unbearable to see.
The film, adopting a casual look and tone for most of its parts, enables the narrative simplicity to work as its secret weapon, depicting every moment with honesty and intention. In a crucially distressing moment of the story, I was surprised by the waltzing classical music gently playing in the background. A clear attempt to attenuate the massive amounts of tension and emotional pain this woman was being subjected to.
Ford gives us a sincere, balanced account of a devastating situation, in a heart-rending drama whose conclusion leaves a terrible taste in the mouth. Complementing her focused camera work, the performances of the two leads proved to be determinant, and the film sticks with you after the credits roll.
