How She Move
a vibrant gem from Canada
2008-01-30
By Sergio Mims
CAST: Rutina Wesley, Tre Armstrong, Brennan Gademans, Melaine Nicholls-King, Cle Bennett, Keyshia Cole
WRITTEN BY: Annemarie Morais
DIRECTED BY: Ian Iqbal Rashid
RATED PG-13
*** THREE STARS
Just when you think all is lost for black films and that we’re stuck in an endless rut of Tyler Perry rip-offs along comes a small gem such as the very likeable and entertaining How She Move to revive your faith.
Admittedly, Move is far removed from being a revolutionary, genre busting, masterpiece of a film destined to change the face of cinema as we know it. Quite the contrary: It borrows ideas, themes and scenes from a dozen other movies that even the most casual of filmgoers has seen many times over. Sampling from Flashdance, West Side Story -- even from those cornball Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney "let’s-put-on-a-show" MGM musicals of the 1940’s. But Move plays, in many ways, like a hip-hop version of its true spiritual heir, the 1940 all black "race" film Broken Strings, right down to the ending which invokes the lead character’s parent. What Move contributes of its own is a vibrancy and a tightly woven story that results in a moving, wonderfully written picture with a gritty edge and a warm heart.
Set in Toronto. Move tells the story of Raya (Rutina Wesley), the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, who, when the film begins, is going through a series of personal crises. She’s still trying to cope with the recent loss of her older sister, who died making the wrong choices and associating with the wrong kinds of people in da’ hood. In addition, because of her family’s financial straits Raya is forced to drop out of the exclusive prep school she was attending and re-enter her broke down neighborhood high school.
Facing suspicion, envy and hostility from other students especially from rival Michelle (knockout Tre Armstrong), while studying for a scholarship to get back into prep school, Raya releases her frustrations and creative energy though step dancing. Not to be confused with the old school moves that are the inner-city version of ballroom dancing, step dancing is athletic, kinetic, extremely physical, innovative style of dance.
Well-worn complications rear their ugly heads and Raya is face with moral dilemmas involving parental disapproval, loyalty, disappointments and the pull of the streets vs. the pursuit of higher goals, fighting for respect as a woman right up until the triumphant feel good climax.
Director Ian Iqbal Rashid, a London-based Canadian Muslim Indian film director who is also an acclaimed, award winning poet, has a wonderful eye and a talent for solid craftsmanship. Move’s hard edged grungy photography gives the film weight and texture and the characters are fully dimensional and rich in detail, even giving a couple of them admirably intellectual aspirations such as studying and reading Leo Tolstoy and Daphne Du Maurier during the times they’re not practicing their step moves.
The film is also unique (though maybe not surprising since it is a Canadian film) in that it deals sensitively with the issues of immigrant black people still trying to adjust to a different world and for having the verve to cast dark skinned actresses in all the leading roles, showing off their extraordinary beauty to full effect.
How She Move isn’t a classic for the ages nor will it set the world on fire but it’s a well made, terrifically acted, smartly written, little joy of a film that will hopefully will find the big audience that it so richly deserves.
Film critic, lecturer and festival consultant Sergio Mims covers all things film from the city that works, Chicago. He is a regular contributor to ebonyjet.com