Angela D. Coleman, Ìbíyínká Oladojá Oyèwọlá, is a nonprofit executive, social entrepreneur, and scholar-practitioner dedicated to transforming communities through innovation, systems-level thinking, and equity-centered solutions.
I recently watched the Fast Color movie, on Amazon. I was moved by it in a way that few movies have affected me, so I felt compelled to write about it.
The plot
Set in the bleak apocalyptic future where the last rain was eight years ago, Fast Color, directed by Julia Hart, is the story of Ruth (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), her mother Bo (Lorraine Toussaint), and Ruth’s daughter Lila (Saniyya Sidney), a generation of women gifted with the extraordinary power to telekinetically disintegrate objects and reassemble them amid vibrant flashes of color that they call “the colors.”
Ruth does not see the colors, at first. Instead, Ruth has uncontrollable seizures that result in violent earthquakes wherever she is. This destruction leads her to flee the home that she eventually returns to. Her mother hides her power while her young daughter fearlessly uses them to help herself and defend those she loves.
The breakthrough
With her family’s support and sacrifice, and only after overcoming her own fear and trauma, Ruth, our reluctant superhero, finally takes control of her body and her powers. She finally sees the colors, yet her powers are way beyond those of her mother and daughter.
(Spoiler alert) Bo sacrifices herself to the scientist who was after Ruth to give him someone to run his tests on as a bargain to leave her daughter and granddaughter alone. After controlling herself and seeing the colors, Ruth has the unimaginable ability to control the earth itself and “take apart the sky.”
In her first act of restoring the mother of us all, Mother Nature, Ruth brings the much-needed rain. It is a poignant moment. She did it by herself. Rain will save humanity and help heal the earth.
The lessons
Fast Color is beautifully written, prophetic, and timely. In addition to making me smile with pop references like Lauryn Hill, the Sex Pistols, and Nina Simone, I gained wisdom.
Specifically, what I learned:
Sometimes, we have to come out of hiding and share our unique gifts to heal ourselves, each other, and the planet.
We should be proud of the generations of powerful women who have come before us and do what we can for future generations.
There is nothing a mother would not do for her children.
On a smaller scale, some of us may be able to manipulate energy and matter and see colors, too.
Love is THE ultimate power.
When we operate from a base of fear, we are less useful, to ourselves and others.
Don’t be anyone’s lab experiment!
When we are free, we can truly be ourselves.
Sometimes we must face our demons to evolve and be free of them forever.
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