critics consensus

Test Pattern surveys the aftermath of a woman's assault -- and uncovers the many ways in which personal trauma can be compounded by systemic injustice. Read critic reviews

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Movie Info

Young couple Renesha (Brittany S. Hall) and Evan (Will Brill) negotiate a variety of questions, judgments, and other comments on their interracial relationship. Yet, the most significant test for the strength of their bond arrives in the form of a brutal sexual assault Renesha suffers. A frantic Evan must then drive the distressed Renesha across the city in hopes of securing a rape kit, encountering further prejudice along the way. Written and directed by Shatara Michelle Ford. Gail Bean, Drew Fuller, and Ben Levin co-star.

Genre:

drama, mystery and thriller
Original Language:

English
Director:

Shatara Michelle Ford
Producer:

Shatara Michelle Ford, Pin-Chun Liu, Yu-Hao Su
Writer:

Shatara Michelle Ford
Release Date (Theaters):

Feb 12, 2021 limited
Release Date (Streaming):

Mar 29, 2021
Runtime:

1h 22m
Production Co:

120E Films
Aspect Ratio:

Flat (1.85:1)

Cast & Crew

Brittany S. Hall
Renesha

Will Brill
Evan

Gail Bean
Amber

Drew Fuller
Mike

Ben Levin
Chris

Amani Starnes
Nurse Peg

Show all Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews for Test Pattern

All Critics (43) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (41) | Rotten (2)

This is a film that takes a slim setup, all of it predicated on difference, and runs with it, renders it into something as intellectually persuasive as it is dramatically refined.

February 25, 2021 | Rating: 4.5/5 | Full Review…

K. Austin Collins
Rolling Stone
Reveals, with fiercely focussed observation, the combined breakdown of public institutions and private life.

February 22, 2021 | Full Review…

Richard Brody
New Yorker
This is an important film. It's perhaps even more than timely -- it's urgent.

February 20, 2021 | Full Review…

Claudia Puig
FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
It doesn't feel small. It packs a lot into that [short runtime].

February 20, 2021 | Full Review…

Angie Han
FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Michelle Ford's "Test Pattern," with patient specificity, probes the institutional injustices suffered by black women to potent, provoking effect.

February 19, 2021 | Rating: B+ | Full Review…

Robert Daniels
The Playlist
An engrossing human drama, one that examines the intersections and inequalities between race, gender, and healthcare in a poignant and powerful way.

February 19, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…

Monica Castillo
RogerEbert.com
A subtle, and smart way of revealing feelings of love, but also anger and frustration [Full review in Spanish]

March 31, 2021 | Full Review…

Gisela Savdie
Letra Urbana
It offers, via clever framing and graphic matches, a subtle indictment of whiteness and institutional power.

March 22, 2021 | Full Review…

Eileen G'Sell
Hyperallergic
A heart-rending drama whose conclusion leaves a terrible taste in the mouth.

March 21, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/5 | Full Review…

Filipe Freitas
Always Good Movies
Test Pattern is an incredibly taut narrative despite a non-linear structure, with jumps in time feeling natural because Ford has complete control over their story.

March 20, 2021 | Full Review…

Joshua Brunsting
The CriterionCast
Bracingly exposes the inadequate system currently in place to address sexual assault.

March 10, 2021 | Rating: B | Full Review…

Edwin Arnaudin
Asheville Movies
Ford deftly manages... ambiguity, offering a narrative about sexual assault in which the assault itself is not what potentially tears a couple apart, but how they deal with the aftermath, in a world where justice is hard to come by.

March 9, 2021 | Full Review…

Alex Heeney
Seventh Row