Films are changing with the changing society in which we live. As films try to adapt into the growing world, we find ourselves trying to find the films that do not sugarcoat the truth or deface a positive change. I have seen several films lately that just put the positive changes in our society in a negative light. Thankfully, Touch of Pink is not one of those films. It is an imaginative film that takes the glamour of Hollywood love (through the character of Cary Grant) and combines it with an ever-changing world. While I will admit the Canadian/Muslim depiction in this film is a bit Eurocentric and at times glossy, it is only due to the fact that director Ian Iqbal Rashid has a cornucopia of information on such a small plate. Add to this a mixed bag of chemistry between our two lovers, Alim and Giles, and some definite need for more rehearsals, you may loose sight of one of the greatest assets to this film, the one, the only, Kyle MacLachlan.
The story is simple. Muslim man who happens to be gay tries to tell his mother of his lifestyle to see if it would bring them closer together. It is similar to nearly every other gay film out there that has the underlying theme of family. The story is nothing to write home about, in fact, if this story never went out of the box, I don't think I would be speaking so highly of it, but the genuine greatness of this film is the magical element of Cary Grant. MacLachlan supersedes himself by taking this role and transforming it into quite possibly the best character of the film. His quick tongue and wit really define him as both an actor as well as the best element for this film. He embodies Grant so well that if anyone were to do a biopic on Grant, I think MacLachlan would be the best for the role. His interaction with Alim gives us that invisible/imaginary friend relationship that only those that had similar friends growing up would understand. Created from a lack of father figure and many films, Grant helps Alim go through life's hurdles. He is Alim's security blanket against life. Together, these two work very well together. In fact, they work so well together that I continually waited for more scenes between them or involving them. MacLachlan's involvement in this project propelled Touch of Pink from average love story to something a bit more spectacular.
I wish I could compliment the connection between Alim and the rest of the cast. Sadly, the chemistry between Alim and his boyfriend Giles was horrible. I never once believed that they were in love or a couple. There seemed to be some conflicting emotions ravishing between them and a bit of arrogance that just didn't settle well for the "love" scenes. I don't know if it was the acting of these two actors or the fact that perhaps they were just not comfortable with each other. Either way, they were not able to translate their love through the screen very well at all. The same goes for Alim's interaction with his mother. I just never saw the struggle that the two of them needed to demonstrate. They jumped to easily from one emotion to another, never really allowing us to feel the tension or love between them. This leads me to think that perhaps the casting of Jimi Mistry was the wrong choice. He just didn't seem to fit with anyone in this film except Grant. Was he only supposed to connect to Grant because he was his imaginary friend, a creation of Alim's mind? I don't know, all I do know is that the actors interacting with each other was like water and oil instead of water and water. The mixture didn't seem to gel.
Finally, I think what the story lacked (and I hinted upon this earlier in the review) was the strong culture that Alim was fighting against. I felt too much time was spent in London, where his gay lifestyle is a bit more accepted, than in the Muslim culture where he would have to fight for acceptance. I wanted, in fact, I needed to see more interactions with Alim's family than what was allotted. There was also a confusing element thrown into the end that just should have been left out. It did not progress the story, only build confusion and unbalance in the overall scheme of things. The culture element is what I was hoping for in this film. I wanted to see a Muslim love story with imagination and creativity that broke social boundaries and I kind of did, but it wasn't bold enough. That is my biggest problem with this film. I felt that hidden somewhere between Jimi's troublesome acting and Ian Iqbal Rashid's choppy direction there was a strong message that wanted to be said about homosexuality in the Muslim culture, but it never came forward. It was almost as if there was a "scared" factor built somewhere in this film.
Overall, this was a decent film. There could have been a stronger message about Muslim homosexuality and family values, but it was countered well with Kyle MacLachlan's stunning portrayal of Cary Grant. It was his character's element that really impressed me about this film. Perhaps stronger editing or direction would have strengthened the story, but I had MacLachlan, and that was joy enough. I would suggest this film for couples looking for a date film or anyone interested in gay cinema, but for me there was just this tugging sensation that this film could have gone further, deeper into the "rabbit hole" so to speak, but chose to play it safe.
Grade: *** out of *****
The story is simple. Muslim man who happens to be gay tries to tell his mother of his lifestyle to see if it would bring them closer together. It is similar to nearly every other gay film out there that has the underlying theme of family. The story is nothing to write home about, in fact, if this story never went out of the box, I don't think I would be speaking so highly of it, but the genuine greatness of this film is the magical element of Cary Grant. MacLachlan supersedes himself by taking this role and transforming it into quite possibly the best character of the film. His quick tongue and wit really define him as both an actor as well as the best element for this film. He embodies Grant so well that if anyone were to do a biopic on Grant, I think MacLachlan would be the best for the role. His interaction with Alim gives us that invisible/imaginary friend relationship that only those that had similar friends growing up would understand. Created from a lack of father figure and many films, Grant helps Alim go through life's hurdles. He is Alim's security blanket against life. Together, these two work very well together. In fact, they work so well together that I continually waited for more scenes between them or involving them. MacLachlan's involvement in this project propelled Touch of Pink from average love story to something a bit more spectacular.
I wish I could compliment the connection between Alim and the rest of the cast. Sadly, the chemistry between Alim and his boyfriend Giles was horrible. I never once believed that they were in love or a couple. There seemed to be some conflicting emotions ravishing between them and a bit of arrogance that just didn't settle well for the "love" scenes. I don't know if it was the acting of these two actors or the fact that perhaps they were just not comfortable with each other. Either way, they were not able to translate their love through the screen very well at all. The same goes for Alim's interaction with his mother. I just never saw the struggle that the two of them needed to demonstrate. They jumped to easily from one emotion to another, never really allowing us to feel the tension or love between them. This leads me to think that perhaps the casting of Jimi Mistry was the wrong choice. He just didn't seem to fit with anyone in this film except Grant. Was he only supposed to connect to Grant because he was his imaginary friend, a creation of Alim's mind? I don't know, all I do know is that the actors interacting with each other was like water and oil instead of water and water. The mixture didn't seem to gel.
Finally, I think what the story lacked (and I hinted upon this earlier in the review) was the strong culture that Alim was fighting against. I felt too much time was spent in London, where his gay lifestyle is a bit more accepted, than in the Muslim culture where he would have to fight for acceptance. I wanted, in fact, I needed to see more interactions with Alim's family than what was allotted. There was also a confusing element thrown into the end that just should have been left out. It did not progress the story, only build confusion and unbalance in the overall scheme of things. The culture element is what I was hoping for in this film. I wanted to see a Muslim love story with imagination and creativity that broke social boundaries and I kind of did, but it wasn't bold enough. That is my biggest problem with this film. I felt that hidden somewhere between Jimi's troublesome acting and Ian Iqbal Rashid's choppy direction there was a strong message that wanted to be said about homosexuality in the Muslim culture, but it never came forward. It was almost as if there was a "scared" factor built somewhere in this film.
Overall, this was a decent film. There could have been a stronger message about Muslim homosexuality and family values, but it was countered well with Kyle MacLachlan's stunning portrayal of Cary Grant. It was his character's element that really impressed me about this film. Perhaps stronger editing or direction would have strengthened the story, but I had MacLachlan, and that was joy enough. I would suggest this film for couples looking for a date film or anyone interested in gay cinema, but for me there was just this tugging sensation that this film could have gone further, deeper into the "rabbit hole" so to speak, but chose to play it safe.
Grade: *** out of *****