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Reviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
TOUCH OF PINK
Alim (Jimi Mistry) has had it hard. When he was just an infant, death robbed him of his father.
Grief and despondency soon overtook his mother, who left Alim in the care of relatives. As Touch of Pink opens, Alim is an adult working in the movie business, and who lives
day-to-day according to advice of movie star Cary Grant (Kyle MacLachlan), an imaginary friend
he latched onto while in the throes of childhood trauma. Now, Alim stands to loose his mother
again, this time to homophobia. Sympathy may be due to Alim, but his character quickly
becomes irksome and hard to understand. After all, he has Giles (Kristen Holden-Ried), a
charming, handsome and attentive lover. So why is Alim so whiny? An immigrant of Pakistani
descent, Alim's materially successful too: he has a good job and a flat in high-priced London he
doesn't just rent, but owns. So why can't he have fun? When Giles' sister throws a surprise
anniversary party for Alim and Giles, Alim's response is, "I wish I'd known." And what is it Giles
sees in a man who can't wipe that pout off his face? (Mistry, it must be said, is true to Alim's
character as it is written.) The arrival of Alim's mother (Suleka Mathew) makes Alim
somewhat easier to understand. She's materialistic, constrained by her family's inflexible
adherence to tradition and has a wicked wit to boot. Her transformation, as she gradually warms
to Giles and Alim, as well as Mathew's solid performance make Touch of Pink fun to
watch. It's only after the film - with its attractive cast, bright palate, witty repartee and nostalgic
soundtrack - is over that we realize we've just seen an extended episode of Frasier or
Will & Grace, complete with a moral lesson for both straights and gays. Better than
Friends, but far too pat for a feature-length film. Steven Cordova is contributing editor to Film-Forward.com and a poet, whose chapbook, Slow Dissolve,
is available from Momotombo Press
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