The film “Beauty” is a powerful love story about a young queer Black woman in the 1980’s aiming to breakout in the music industry while hoping to preserve her identity.
The highly anticipated film premiered at the School of Visual Arts for the Tribeca Film Festival over the weekend. The cast, writers, and director of the film graced the red carpet before the premiere to share their thoughts on “Beauty” and how the film is elevating queer voices of color.
Grace Marie Bradley is the lead actor in the film and plays the ambitious singer named “Beauty.” Bradley told us her approach to channeling the character was to come from a place of purity right before experiencing the overwhelming powers of stardom. Beauty faces several obstacles, one of which centers around her parents’ disapproval of her relationship with her girlfriend as well as the strict supervision her father looms over her career. Beauty’s meteoric rise to fame is met with more obstacles that force her to decide on whether to conceal her sexuality and misrepresent her art for the sake of success.
Cast members like Alyse Shannon, who plays Beauty’s love interest “Jasmine,” told us watching the main character navigate through these internal battles and making critical decisions for herself is what makes the film beautiful. Kyle Bary, who plays Beauty’s brother “Abel,” told us the film is a powerful image of the Black Middle Class and how the main character is stuck between choosing her family and her future.
The soundtrack featured in the film also parallels Beauty’s journey and that of powerhouse Black female vocalists like Patti LaBelle and Whitney Houston.
The final screening of “Beauty” is set for this upcoming Saturday June 18.
