Touch of Pink

Touch of Pink would have to be one of the most enjoyable films to be released in some time. Although the Anglo/Indian cross-cultural themes have been done before in films like Bend It Like Beckham, A Touch of Pink would have to one of the first films where the narrative is given a wickedly gay slant. Combining his love of old Hollywood movies, with elements of his own culturally conservative background, writer-director Ian Iqbal Rashid paints a picture of a world where indulging in gentle, romantic fantasies helps one get through the day, and where young gay men can present many different identities and personalities.

The story revolves around the family and love life of Alim (Jim Mistry). He's an Indian who was born in Kenya, raised in Canada, and as an adult, moved to England. In London, Ali lives a great life - he has a nice apartment, he is openly gay, and Giles (Kristen Holden-Ried), his live-in boyfriend, is a kind, devoted, and supportive blond hunk. But Alim is still not out to his traditional Indian Muslim family, who now live in Toronto.

Alim also has a secret: he thinks he's living with the ghost of Cary Grant (played with dashing charm by Kyle MacLachlan). While Alim works at his job as a movie-still photographer, and hangs out in his pajamas to watch classic movies, Cary Grant sits beside him offering friendly advice and a sympathetic ear. Alim is obviously has a terrible crush on him, and Cary has become his most trusted companion. When Alim's conservative mother Nuru (a gorgeous Suleka Mathew) drops in unexpectedly for a visit, Alim must devise a plan to hide his gay life from her.

Nuru feels bitter and resentful about the Caucasian Brits. She's also angry because when she was a young girl she wanted to be an Indian Doris Day, but she realized pretty early on that no one wanted one. Wary of her astringency and suspiciousness, Alim and Grant devise their own charade: Giles must become is his flat mate, and Giles' cute, easygoing sister (Lisa Repo-Martell) his fiancée. Of course things don't go as planned, and things backfire when lies lead to more deception. Alim is eventually forced to confront the ghosts of his own making and come out to his mother.

A Touch of Pink is basically about the difficulties of coming out, particularly to one's family, but more importantly, to one's self. It isn't until Alim has exorcised many of the doubts and difficulties from his life, that he can be truly honest, and let the ghost of Cary Grant go. The adorable Mistry does a great job of conveying Alim's neurosis and uncertainty about his life and his mother's acceptance of him. MacLachlan also does a good impersonation of Cary Grant as he spews up all sorts of harebrained advice that gets Alim in more trouble. Although, towards the end of the film, his contestant presence does begin to get a bit wearing.

Nuru is a well-drawn, quite wonderful creation, and Suleka Mathew's stunning beauty adds to Nuru's mixture of vituperative sass and hidden vulnerability. She's torn between her desire to see her son happy and her urge to make it appear to her gossipy relatives that Alim is a happily married, well adjusted heterosexual. A Touch of Pink is a charming, graceful movie, full of heart-felt emotion and realistic, relevant characters. The notion that one must be true to one's self is of the utmost importance, but as Alim discovers, honesty and truly being happy, inevitably come at a price. Mike Leonard November 04.