One of the main issues I have always had with superhero films is how special effects, CGI, and action sequences come first. I'm not claiming that this is a hot take or a groundbreaking statement and I also can not blame studios for putting out what their audiences want. Very rarely does a film of the "superhero" genre surprise me with its writing or actual focus on storytelling, but Julia Hart's incredibly underrated Fast Color completely flips this trope on its head. With no affiliation from any big studios or franchises, Hart set out to make what can be boiled down as an independent superhero film. What makes this movie so special, besides its fantastic cast and gorgeous visuals, is that it truly puts storytelling first. Granted, it might not be the most original or compelling family tale ever written, but Hart absolutely delivers an emotional and genuinely human story about someone with supernatural abilities in a passionate way.
On the run for years from the authorities and scientists who wish to study her, Ruth (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) has nowhere left to turn except for her family that she once abandoned. Superhuman abilities run in her bloodline and as she has troubles with controlling them, Ruth knows the only people she has left to rely on are her mother Bo (Lorraine Toussaint) and daughter Lila (Saniyya Sidney). Julia Hart and Jordan Horowitz's script is the harbinger of what makes this film so great yet lacking at times. I absolutely loved the story surrounding these three and the struggles that they had with concealing their powers while trying to live a normal life. This aspect of the story is what made the overall narrative so interesting: having lived with these powers their entire lives, they are comfortable with hiding them until Ruth shows up. This is when they realize that they have to deal with Ruth not being able to control them or access her true potential. The small-scale, family feel of this film is its strongest proponent. Fast Color does what a lot of superhero films don't, which is take time to actually build their characters and write them as people first, superheroes second. Even then, this film never had to take on any of the generic tropes that this genre usually does. Ruth and her family never once thought that they should "use their powers for the greater good" or any clichéd garbage such as that. No generic flashbacks of how they got their powers were required either, as the main theme of this film rather focused on the legacy of a family and how much more important they were to each other than they were to the responsibility of their powers. As I mentioned before, passionate screenwriting overtakes reliance on CGI and not conforming to a typical, superhero narrative made Fast Color so immensely enjoyable and refreshing to watch.
This movie exceeds as both a solid indie film and a message to big studios that you do not need endlessly returning characters and storylines to keep an audience's attention. These messages might not have been as fervent, though, if it were not for the performances from the main cast and their clear dedication to this little story. Mbatha-Raw has been astounding in every role I have seen her in and she is slowly becoming a true scene-stealer no matter what she is cast in. Toussaint and Sidney were great as well, as they all worked together to portray this family in such an honest and relatable way. There were often times when I would forget that they all had powers or that this movie revolved around that aspect of the characters, but I suppose that is a good thing when I am rather drawn into the way they are written as normal people. Michael Fimognari's cinematography and Martin Pensa's editing stood out to me a lot as well. The fluid combination of these two's talents made this film feel much more like an indie film, which solidified its style for me too. Not only was Fimognari able to show how empty their world was through only a few shots and cuts, but he also utilized camera tricks to show the impact of Ruth's earthquakes in a very stylish way which I absolutely loved.
For a film with such a small budget like this one, I am surprised at how gorgeous the special effects were. Some might see them as a bit cheesy and too basic, but I thought they were excellently used. The subtleness of Bo holding the disassembled cigarette in her fingers and the amateurish deconstruction of the bowl by Lila were some of the most personal and mesmerizing shots. And there is no denying that the final scene in which Ruth and Lila unlock their true, colorful powers is one of the most stunning and powerful scenes I have ever seen. My only issues with this story are how many of its driving forces were written. This film's antagonists were extremely forgettable and were simply there to run her through tests and take away her powers. They could have been written with a bit more motive or had more screentime dedicated to their cause. This absence of conflict led to a sadly, emotionless ending. If the stakes for this family had been higher or made more critical with a deeper understanding of the history of their family, the ending would have felt much more deserved, given the almost stereotypical sacrifice and ambiguous conclusion.
Fast Color is a film that I really wish would have gotten a wider distribution, as I believe that it easily could have become a much more popular indie hit. Sadly, due to its lack of marketing and easily-identifiable target audience, this film has become lost, despite only being released earlier this year. I adore Fast Color much more than other, franchise-driven films that I have seen recently and I'm glad that Hart's fantastic script and direction were this story's saving grace.
My Rating: ★★★½
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