Test Pattern movie review 2021

Available now on streaming channels

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 22 minutes

IN A NUTSHELL:

Part psychological horror, part realistic drama, this debut feature from Shatara Michelle Ford is set against the backdrop of national discussions around health care and policing, the #metoo movement, and race in America. Test Pattern follows an interracial couple whose relationship is put to the test after a black woman is sexually assaulted and her white boyfriend drives her from hospital to hospital in search of a rape kit. Winner of top prizes at the BlackStar and New Orleans Film Festivals, this film offers a unique exploration of sexism from a woman’s point of view. Content warning: This film includes a depiction of sexual assault.

THINGS I LIKED:

Brittany S. Hall is gorgeous and talented, so I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of her. She first appeared on VH1’s hit reality show “Real Chance of Love” where she earned the nickname “Hot Wings” and was one of the winners of the show. After that, she did Stand Up Comedy in New York City!
I thought the title of the movie was interesting. A test pattern is a fixed picture broadcast by a television station to assist viewers in adjusting their receivers. There’s a social statement in there. The test refers to the relationship, as well as to the healthcare system.
Act 1 does a good job helping the audience to fall in love with the main couple played by Brittany S. Hall and Will Brill.
I like movies that are intentionally ambiguous so that the audience can interpret the meaning for themselves.
The Mother Bear really comes out in me when I watch movies like this. I want to keep all of my girls safe and I want monsters to pay for their despicable crimes.
Interesting musical score. I haven’t decided whether or not I liked the choices, but they did catch my attention.
Kudos to Evan, the boyfriend, for being so supportive and patient. Not all guys are jerks. I have four sons whom I have taught to treat women well. I’ve read some reviews that criticized the boyfriend for insisting that they go to the hospital to get a rape kit, exerting power over his girlfriend when she said she didn’t want to. I disagree and didn’t see it that way at all. I thought he was trying to help her get justice and health care because she wasn’t in any condition to make healthy choices after her assault.
I’m really glad we didn’t have to watch the rape. Not showing us the details was the perfect choice made by the director because even the lead female who was raped didn’t remember what happened due to her drinking and taken drugs.
For its low budget, it does a good job of taking you on an emotional journey.
I really like the movie poster because it makes me want to know what’s going on in the story.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

The director stated, “I made Test Pattern to provoke a meaningful conversation about consent, to incorporate a black female point of view, and to spark debate while we create more nuance in the current discourse surrounding #metoo and feminism; in a movement that often focuses on the pain of white women, to the detriment of women of color, who exist within a different set of struggles and expectations.” My biggest complaint about this movie is that the director hasn’t decided exactly what she wants to say. She wants the movie to be about race, but the main woman is dating a white guy and would have received the exact same answer at the hospital as a white woman: there are no rape kits at this hospital. I did notice that the director chose to have the doctors and nurses who couldn’t help Renesha be white and that the one nurse who finally did was black. There are apathetic nurses of ALL colors. It seemed like the director was pushing this to be a racial issue. The director should have focused more on the ineffective healthcare system and/or the rape culture because her casting choices didn’t seem congruent with her claim that the movie is about race.
Good friends don’t pressure you to drink or stay out late or do anything you don’t want to do. If a friend pressures you to lower your standards, they’re not a true friend. I hated the best friend who kept pushing her friend to drink and hang out with strangers at a bar. Women of ALL colors need to take responsibility for their choices. If you drink or do drugs, the quality of your decision-making WILL be compromised. (P.S. Gummies ARE drugs.) Let me be clear…I am NOT saying that the protagonist was “asking for it”, nor granting any excuse for the animal who raped her. I’m also NOT saying that only women who drink and take drugs get raped. I’m simply saying that I hope women will learn from this cautionary tale and make better choices. Amber, the protagonist’s friend never apologized once for her critical role in how their “Girls Night Out” ended. She was a real jerk who kept putting her own needs and wants above her friend’s wellbeing. To all my girls who are reading this review, choose your girlfriends wisely! Surround yourself with people who pull you up and support your choices, rather than drag you down into the gutter and pressure you to lower your standards or dismiss your goals.
It makes me soooooo mad that scumbag men can be so driven by hormones that they terrible things to another human being.
Some people will be very bored and complain that nothing really happens.
After experiencing an assault like that, one would naturally feel numb. You kind of get that feeling watching this movie too.