Starring Adepero Oduye, Pernell Walker, Aasha Davis
Directed by Dee Rees
In an inspired twist, Dee Rees otherwise fraught initially takes its cues from the fairytale world of Cinderella. With the clock striking curfew, 17-year-old Alike (Adepero Oduye) flees a lesbian nightclubs dance floor. Scurrying home, she dons a girly t-shirt and slips in earrings, transforming herself back into the straight girl her domineering parents know and love.
While Rees fails to maintain this impressive command of narrative and visual composition throughout her debut feature, the writer-director nevertheless delivers compelling drama. The closeted Alike must not only contend with her parents fractious relationship, but also the competing influences of Laura (Pernell Walker), her openly gay friend, and Bina (Aasha Davis), a new friend whos been hand-picked by her mother.
Alike addresses her predicament through her poetry, which favours on-the-nose imagery like butterflies struggling to escape their cocoons. Such a lack of subtlety might prove more irksome if it weren't so apt. Whether at home, hanging with Bina or cruising the club, Alike is similarly skittish, uncertain of how shes supposed to conduct herself. Consequently, the rare moments shes able to forego her posturing in favour of simply surrendering herself to an experience become all the more rewarding to behold.
This semi-autobiographical affair occasionally finds Rees swinging wildly to connect with the audience. However, the impact could have been far more devastating if shed been content to bide her time, pick her spots, and deliver telling blows. C.W.
