Pretty Red Dress

A stretch in prison brings you back to your sweetheart, it's a year that you've been separate and apart, life's quite tough when you're a felon, when you wish you had some melons, just to pop inside a dress, with firm support. And then the chance arrives to get yourself made up, and add some padding to your wife's lacy bra cups, pop some scarlet on the lips, waltzing around to shake your hips, you look amazing in that red tasselled getup. It's not too long before you're found with your pants down, it causes consternation and a great big frown, you try to work your way around, but deep inside you're glad your found, you are relieved, released to wander around town.

I was really disappointed in this film. The trails suggested a cutting edge drama about a man challenging the norms of his community but what we actually get is an over-scripted, not very well acted, family melodrama. "Travis" (Natey Jones) returns home after a spell in prison to his wife "Candice" (Alexandra Burke) and teenage daughter "Kenisha" (Temilola Olatunbosun). "Candice" has an audition to play in a Tina Turner musical and has her eyes on a spangly red dress. It's expensive, but "Travis" manages to find a job with his brother and manages to buy it for her. She loves it, but, well... so does he. At this stage we begin to sense that he has some identity fluidity issues, but that is best kept under wraps for fear it will not be well received by his family, nor by their friends. It's only when "Candice" comes home unexpectedly one evening that the relationship dynamic suddenly changes for all of them. The premiss is bold - it does aim fairly and squarely at bigotry and homophobia, but the execution is slow and ponderous. Alexandra Burke is a great singer but she is not a great actress and as the ever more contrived family shenanigans mount up - including some issues for the young "Kenisha" - the thrust that made the film interesting in the first place gets rather lost. Jones is adequate, but again his character is largely undeveloped with little of a backstory to give us a sense of just how this relationship evolved, and ultimately I just think Dionne Edwards relied a little too much on the shock value of the thread and of audience assumptions rather than develop this into something more powerful. It's watchable, bit misses the goal I'd say.

This is not the sort of film I would choose to see but I ended up in the cinema watching and enjoying it. The location and Jamacian culture are unfamiliar to me, an Indiginous Rustic, so it was quite an insight into different lives and I understood some of the challenges others face.

Alexandra Burke was brilliant in her acting and her performances. Natey Jones played a weak and wretched character and I had little sympathy for him-I wasn't totally convinced by his performance and wanted to slap him- maybe that is good acting. The others interacted well and were a good background to the story.

A simple story of complicated relationships but very enjoyable to watch.

A beautiful, heart warming and enjoyable debut film from Dionne Edwards, with brilliant performances from the whole cast, especially Alexandra Burke, Natey Jones & Temilola Olatunbosun. Deftly explores masculinity, family dynamics and gender expression. Was particularly impressed with AB as I had not seen her act before but she really pulled it out of the bag. South London makes the perfect setting for the film and its beauty is on full display. Lots of fantastic music throughout.

Important for these stories to be told, now more than ever. Deserves to have a wide audience and lots of success...

Here's a sensitive and contemporary take on love, identity, sexuality, expectations, kindness and the human condition. It doesn't need labels or explanations and can cope with and hold ambiguity. It likes and respects all of its main protagonists and does not feel the need to fall victim to simplicity. All the more, you identify with the characters, and it feels encouraging that there is room for emotion amidst all those somewhat 2-dimensional contemporary labelling efforts. Be feminine whilst being masculine, be real, be vulnerable, take a risk, take a stand for your feelings but don't hurt others in the process - in fact, don't just me me me, bur really let them matter (to you) too. Recommended.