I’m currently on a high. Thanks to Essence magazine, last night I was able to attend a screening of Gina Prince-Bythewood’s Beyond the Lights, a film about the unexpected romance between an LAPD officer named Kaz (played by the handsome Nate Parker) and a British pop star named Noni Jean (played perfectly by Gugu Mbatha-Raw). Kaz and Noni meet when he rescues her from a suicide attempt while doing a colleague a favor by working his shift as private security.
Noni’s mother (played by Minnie Driver) is the epitome of a stage-mom. As Noni’s manager, she is more concerned with Noni breaking records in the music industry than she is about her health and well-being. Kaz, on the other hand, is immediately concerned about Noni’s emotional problems and wants to save her throughout the entire film.
It is not my goal to spoil the film so I won’t give you a detailed play-by-play, I’ll simply share some thoughts I had while watching the film…
Kaz and Noni’s romance is powerful and thought-provoking. While watching the film, I found myself noticing a few main concepts and asking several questions. They’re listed below:
- Two people who would normally never be together fall in love and it’s darn great to see it play out on screen. Noni is truly a believable pop star (minus the fact that the lip syncing to “Black Bird” during the end of the film is a bit questionable). And Kaz really seems like a good cop who genuinely wants to help, he makes you want to fall in love.
- Your identity can be easily controlled by others. How many of us are living our dreams? How many of us do things to please others and make them proud without considering what we really want? Even though Kaz and Noni come from two different worlds, they happen to be fighting similar battles with their identities.
- Beauty ideals are often unrealistic and can cause people to lack confidence. Throughout the film, Noni has flawless purple hair extensions, glamorous makeup, and edgy nails. But when she no longer has these things, her immediate reaction is full of uncertainty. She seems worried about how others will look at her. How easy is it to feel comfortable as you are naturally? Can getting rid of certain beauty rituals help you feel free? Do too many of us aim to look like celebrities and what can this do to our self-esteem?
Overall, this is a great film and I highly encourage you to check it out when it hits theaters this Friday. I’m all for romantic dramas and this one just does it for me. Have you seen it yet and if not, are you planning to? I’m looking forward to reading your thoughts so be sure to use the hashtag #BeyondTheLights if you post about this film on social media.
Best love story I have ever seen.
I think the one thing that makes it the best is the way they always look into each others eyes
and see everything in them. It makes the movie. It draws me in. I have this movie over and over again so many times back to back. I am almost 50 years old and brings the youth back in me. If I had a time capsules this would definitely go in it for generations to come to see what real love looked like. Hats off to both brilliant actors.
I love this movie. And I want everyone to see it. And envoy it as much as I have. I am watching this movie once every night before bed ! And I am also trying to get everyone around me to fall in love with it as well. This movie makes me feel like I am noni and happiness can come to anyone who’s willing to let it in. Beyond the lights takes me somewhere emotionally no movie has ever taken me. And for that, I continue to watch it every night like its my first time viewing.