Test Pattern (2019)

Directed by: Shatara Michelle Ford | 82 minutes | drama, thriller | Actors: Brittany S. Hall, Will Brill, Gail Bean, Drew Fuller, Ben Levin, Amani Starnes, Caroline Bloom, Melissa Jo Bailey, Amanda Joy Erickson, Katy Erin, Donna Morrell Gafford, Jenna Hagel, George Oliver Hale, Jaron Michael Hawkins Becki Hayes, Kally Khourshid, Molly O’Leary, Joseph Rene, Kay Salem, Ronald Woodhead

Evan and Renesha’s relationship is strained when she wakes up one morning in another man’s bed. She appears to have been drugged and raped, but she can only remember fragments of the evening. She knows one thing for sure: she didn’t go home with him voluntarily.

Evan and Renesha meet at a party. As confident as she is dancing, so clumsily he steps up to her. Yet there is an immediate click and they soon end up in a loving relationship. When ‘Test Pattern’ really starts, we are already one step further in time. They now live together in a nice house in the suburbs and seem happier than ever.

Renesha just got a new job and her best friend Amber wants to celebrate by taking her out for a night. At the club, they are soon approached by two men who don’t mince words and try to persuade the ladies to spend the evening with them. Amber likes it so she also tries to get Renesha there. She gives in to the pressure and takes a drink, only to wake up again in the bed of one of the men.

That morning, Evan and Renesha drive from hospital to hospital in search of a so-called ‘rape kit’: a tool to officially diagnose sexual abuse and collect evidence. However, they are sent from pillar to post, so frustrations mount and there is a growing distance between the two.

Director Shatara Michelle Ford knows how to sketch the seriousness of the situation, without opting for the literal drama. We don’t see any violence, there’s no yelling, and it’s all in all not what you initially imagine being raped. Yet you feel how screwed up the situation is and what a difficult road Renesha faces.
‘Test Pattern’ shows that there is an enormous sense of shame and guilt among victims of sexual abuse. You can see that Renesha doubts whether it could have been prevented and this is probably a situation that a lot of women experience.

Visually speaking, ‘Test Pattern’ is not very outspoken. What you see is what you get. Here and there the whole is a bit sweet, but in general the tone is mainly calm and composed. Perhaps this is a realistic approach, but it does ensure that the film with its 82 minutes can be experienced as slow at times. The acting is modest, but also does not continuously convince.

Because of the serious and topical subject, both men and women should see ‘Test Pattern’, but artistically it leaves something to be desired.