Hyde Park Pick: Alma's Rainbow

I feel so grateful to T A P E Collective for introducing me to some absolute gems this year which were criminally underrepresented before T A P E’s Snapshot season. Snapshot shines a light on Black girls coming of age on their own terms in films by Black female filmmakers. Earlier this year, the series introduced me to Drylongso which I absolutely loved, and now I am equally grateful for Alma’s Rainbow, a joyous rainbow of a film.

The film is rich with so many details to admire. The costumes are vibrant and fun. Jean-Paul Bourelly’s jazzy soundtrack is equally colourful and full of life. The characters are well-developed, likeable and funny. Their relationships are nuanced and complicated but warm at heart.

Most refreshing of all was that the teenage protagonist, Rainbow, is mainly driven and focused on creative pursuits rather than romance which is the predominant, over-seen trope in many coming-of-age films. The film also focuses on two other strong women, Rainbow’s mum, Alma, and Rainbow’s aunt, Ruby, each trying to impart their wisdom to Rainbow. Alma is the stricter of the two and when she’s least expecting it, Ruby and Rainbow become role models to her with their freer approach to life’s risks. Spending time getting to know these characters was a real treat. All of them will stay with me as role models in their own different ways.

Alma's Rainbow is showing at HPPH from Saturday 31st August. Find times & tickets here.