The opening moments of Shatara Michelle Ford’s impressive debut feature are disorienting and devastating. We meet our main character Renesha (Brittany S. Hall, Ballers) as she is being caressed and kissed on by a man while she sits on a bed bordering on full unconsciousness. It is clear there is something very wrong happening, but before we can establish any context we are taken back to a decidedly happier time. Renesha makes a connection with a guy on the dance floor, and with the help of a little liquid courage he approaches her and asks for her number. This man is Evan (Will Brill, The OA), a charming, slightly insecure tattoo artist who will soon become a supportive partner to Renesha. The subtly sweet romance on display before the title card stands in stark contrast to the horrors that await us. Ford is not here to allow the audience to be passive in their response.
While initially the two appear to be from completely different worlds, there is an undeniable electricity between them. Renesha is a successful young Black woman living in a cushy Austin apartment while working at a soulless corporate job that she cannot stand. Evan is more laid-back and seemingly unambitious as he enjoys his minor lifestyle. She dazzles him with her brilliance, and he has a playful honesty that she finds enticing. Their initial sex scene eschews standard voyeuristic tendencies for something low-key and intimate (and straightforwardly consensual). It is not long before the two move into a small, cute house together where Evan can operate his tattoo business while Renesha embarks on a more fulfilling role working for The Humane Society. There is an easy domestic bliss between the two of them that seems almost perfect until the night Renesha goes out with her friend Amber (Gail Bean, Snowfall) where they run into a pair of celebrating white men who force the women to celebrate with them. It is not long before we are back to where we started and Renesha is being unceremoniously dropped outside of Amber’s house.
Renesha is failed on multiple fronts throughout the spry runtime of this feature. The first and most violent is the initial assault she goes through, which we are thankfully spared being shown in graphic detail. The remaining traumas she suffers are horrific in a much different manner. Once she has reunited and relayed her story to Evan, he springs into action wanting to rush her to get a rape kit. He knows that time is of the essence, but, as the two will soon learn in the most excruciating manner, the medical and justice system does not always make things easy for survivors of sexual assault. The initial slap to the face from reality comes when the first hospital they visit is unable to perform the rape kit on Renesha due to the lack of a qualified technician to administer it. This is only the first in a bureaucratic labyrinth the pair must traverse while the trauma and exhaustion worsens.
The failings of the core infrastructure for victims is shamefully to be expected, but the failings on behalf of Evan are much more painful in the long-run. While surely well-meaning in his mind, his reaction to Renesha’s assault only adds to the pain she is going through. Renesha says more than once she just wants to go home, but Evan is steadfast in his determination to have her seen. Their status as an interracial couple is addressed only sparingly up until this point, but Ford draws some distinct lines that open up the relationship to more scrutiny. As a white man, Evan feels a bubbling rage over the ineffectual nature of the system in their path, but it is something Renesha has had to contend with her entire life. She barely had any faith in the system to take care of her in the first place, and she gives up long before Evan is ready to do so. He says he is fighting for her well-being, but key lines of dialogue expose a toxic need for justice in a situation where there can be no justice. Reflections back upon initially innocuous banter earlier in their relationship are recontextualized to become something more worrying in this new light.
For Renesha, sexual assault was only the beginning of her nightmare, and Shatara Michelle Ford does brilliant job of bringing this to life in her script. Such a violent act splinters out and ruins so many different parts of a person’s life. There are many cogent insights packed into this efficiently plotted narrative with the only minor shortcoming possibly being the conclusion. What we are left with is realistic, but with where the tension is at this point you feel as if the movie should end a bit later or slightly earlier for maximum impact. Nevertheless, this is a story that needed to be told, and the grounded realism that is brought to this story allows it to flourish. It is powerfully tragic and a work of art.
Video Quality
Kino Lorber brings Test Pattern to Blu-Ray with a very pleasing 1080p video presentation in its original aspect ratio. The image is clean with the bright, natural color palette popping off the screen. The film employs nice splashes of bold colors within the production design and clothing, which makes for a very striking image. The black levels are appropriately deep and inky with no discernible digital noise. The flesh tones are natural with a magnificent amount of detail present in close-ups. The presentation provides a significant amount of depth on display, especially in the interior shots. The production design from the modern house to the flashy club and the antiseptic hospitals, along with the fabrics of clothing, provide crystal clear textural details. This is as solid of a presentation as any modern movie should deliver on Blu-Ray.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with a steady DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that recreates the settings perfectly. Dialogue is the driving force of the film, and it always comes through crisp and clear without being clipped by any competing sounds. There is very little in the way of kinetic sequences, but the environmental sounds of the club and clinics engage the surround speakers in a really pleasing way. Ambient sounds are precisely placed in the rear channels. The music in the film fills the speakers in a wonderful, well-balanced way. Any activity in the low end is mostly contained to this, but there are a few other fleeting moments such as the slamming of a car door which utilizes it. The audio track is not pushed to the limit with this content, but it nonetheless proves to be an excellent sounding presentation for this feature.
Special Features
- Shatara Michelle Ford In Conversation with James Gray: A 36-minute conversation between Test Pattern director Shatara Michelle Ford and Ad Astra director James Gray in which they discuss their background together, the point of view utilized within the film, the themes of the story, the decision to tackle this material in her first feature film, inspiration from classic films and more. This is a truly wonderful conversation that only goes to enriching your appreciation for the film.
- Trailer: The nearly two-minute trailer is provided here for Test Pattern.
Final Thoughts
Test Pattern is an emotionally raw journey that leaves a necessary mark. Shatara Michelle Ford shows an impressive gift for narrative and visual composition in her debut feature, and the performance she coaxes out of her actors are incredible. Brittany S. Hall in particular is devastating in the way she expresses so much with a single glance. The subject matter may be too much for some audience members, but those who are willing to take the journey will be greeted to a staggering piece of cinema. Kino Lorber has given this film a Blu-Ray featuring a top-notch A/V presentation and a great supplemental interview that is invaluable. Recommended
Test Pattern is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Kino Lorber has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
