Review: Your Color (2021), A Spirited Look at Race and Ambition
Too often, films about race devolve into familiar and shallow territory. We are not given more than a surface view of social issues related to race, created from an outsider’s perspective on the subject. Fortunately, Maria Diane Ventura’s dramatic study on friendship, ambition, generational anxiety, and race, Your Color (German title: Deine Farbe), provides a more poignant, visceral, intellectual look at the complexities of these issues. The trailer alone shows both the visual and emotional potency with which the filmmaker creates a masterful narrative.
The story revolves around Albert (Nyamandi Adrian) and Karl (Jannik Schümann), two friends who aspire to be filmmakers, influencers, Youtube stars, or some combination of the three. However, Albert comes from a broken home and struggles to maintain a healthy relationship with his mother. At the same time, Karl dreams of leaving behind the cozy and predictable life his affluent parents have provided for him. Consequently, the two set out to completely reinvent their lives by leaving their sleepy little town in Germany and heading to Barcelona to find fame and fortune. Sadly, reality quickly catches up with them, threatening to tear their friendship apart forever.
Many “buddy” movies like Your Color fail to capture the realities of male friendship. In most cases, the stories venture into comedic territory, as it seems that no one knows how to address male kinship without turning it into a joke. The subject becomes even harder to address with true clarity when the friends come from different ethnic backgrounds. Albert is black and frequently experiences racial profiling and discrimination. Though Karl is sympathetic to Albert, he struggles to understand the choices Albert makes, particularly when Albert becomes listless in Barcelona.
In a sense, the themes that arise from Albert and Karl’s relationship conjure up memories of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974). Though the films are completely different in style and tone, they offer similar views of the complexities of an interracial relationship — romantic or platonic. Karl wants to understand and “save” Albert from himself, even as Albert starts to succumb to the familial and societal forces telling him that he is lesser than.
Personally, I’m not a fan of the “found footage” visual style that indie filmmakers often use to make up for their limited budgets. Thankfully, Your Color (2021) makes these home-movie moments an integral part of the story and a reflection of Albert and Karl’s endearing friendship. Plus, the vast majority of the film is gorgeous, with sweeping shots of Barcelona and freewheeling images of seedy nightclubs. The cinematography is complemented and even enhanced by excellent performances, particularly from the two lead actors, Nyamandi Adrian and Jannik Schümann, who both play their respective roles to perfection.
In short, Your Color (2021) or “Deine Farbe” is an excellent addition to the ever-growing collection of international indie films. Unlike many films that have come before it, Your Color addresses issues like race, male friendship, youth, angst, drug abuse, and generational anxiety without feeling like it bites off more than it can chew. Thus, Maria Diane Ventura has delivered a one-of-a-kind film and I can’t wait to see what else she will do for the future of international cinema.
Your Color (“Deine Farbe”) Movie Rating: ★★★★ out of 5
If you’d like to watch Your Color (2021), it is currently available to rent or purchase via Amazon. For more film reviews like this one, be sure to check out the Philosophy in Film homepage!
