Reminiscent of another SXSW alumnus, Midnight Special, Fast Color is a visceral sci-fi thriller about three generations of women, and the transfer of power and responsibility.
Picking up with our heroine, Ruth (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), an addict on the run who tries to kick her habit, only to reveal what she was really trying to hide, a mysterious super power. Taking off without a second thought, Ruth is back on the road, but with the world in tough shape it’s not long before she has to make a stop.
Gas is in short supply, though not as short as water, with a litre costing $12, sold in old containers with elastic bands and rags for lids. Her second stop is at a diner for food, but when an interaction with a passer by turns sour and the authorities pick up the chase, Ruth has just one place left to go – probably the only place they won’t think to look – back home.
A moving story that doesn’t play it’s hand until it’s deemed absolutely necessarily, Fast Color is an intelligent sci-fi thriller that explores the concept of home, family, and what makes us who we are. Co-writer/director Julia Hart has crafted a low-key supernatural world about creation, not destruction – so refreshing when right now you can’t turn your head in Hollywood for yet another Marvel or DC franchise release.
The cast are breathtaking, from Gugu Mbatha-Raw in the lead, to her mother played by Lorraine Toussaint, and young Saniyya Signey as Lila. All give carefully considered performances, with enough personality on their own, yet also fit together like meticulous puzzle. Christopher Denham’s Bill is a haunting secret agent on Ruth’s tail, while David Strathairn is reliable as ever when he comes into the film late on.
The production design is exquisite, and the world building subtly introduces life in this world, with some really nice touches of dystopia.
If you’re pushed to find any gripes, it’s perhaps that Fast Color proves to be a little one-track come the conclusion. Very segmented from act to act, it could have done with a supplementary narrative to give it that extra depth in the run up to the end. But that is nit-picking, and Fast Colour is a smart, engaging and though-provoking sci-fi thriller, that brings new ideas to the table and doesn’t shy away from visceral set-pieces along the way.