Test Pattern

This film's virtual cinema run has concluded. It is now available to rent or own via Kino Now.

Test Pattern

Directed by Shatara Michelle Ford

Year: 2020
Country: U.S.
Language: English
English Closed Captions

Part psychological horror, part realist drama, this exhilarating debut feature from Shatara Michelle Ford is set against the backdrop of national discussions around inequitable health care and policing, the #metoo movement, and race in America. Test Pattern follows an interracial couple whose relationship is put to the test after a Black woman is sexually assaulted and her white boyfriend drives her from hospital to hospital in search of a rape kit. Their story reveals the systemic injustices and social conditioning women face when navigating sex and consent within the American patriarchy. Winner of top prizes at the BlackStar and New Orleans Film Festivals, this gripping social thriller offers a unique exploration of institutional racism and sexism from a Black woman's point of view. Content warning: This film includes a depiction of sexual assault.

Watch a Q&A with writer/director Shatara Michelle Ford and actors Brittany S. Hall and Will Brill, moderated by Ira Madison III and hosted by the Coolidge Corner Theater:

Watch a Q&A with Ford moderated by Jourdain Searles and hosted by Indie Memphis:

Reviews

"A film poised to become one of the year’s must-see indie gems... one the year's first true discoveries."


"A staggeringly impressive debut… It's a cinematic achievement.”


Test Pattern offers a fresh way of examining sexual assault and its aftermath on screen, one that feels just as emblematic of its moment as Thelma & Louise.


“A brilliant debut… whose intellectual impact feels almost physical in its intensity.”


“Stunning in its examination of blackness, whiteness, gender, and class… This is talent. Pure, plain and simple.”


“Intelligent and engrossing… [a] quietly momentous first feature.”


“Transposes the discourse around the #MeToo movement from whiteness to a Black female lens. In line with... I May Destroy You, it’s part of an indispensable breakthrough in media.”


“An engrossing human drama, one that examines the intersections and inequalities between race, gender, and healthcare in a poignant and powerful way.”


“A searing, yet nuanced, interrogation of the racism and sexism baked into our society at every level... Strikingly punctuates the detachment of realist drama with the expressionism of psychological horror.”


“Signals an absolute powerhouse talent…  feels like a revelation.”


“Ford demands that we work to believe this Black woman’s experiences.”


"Ford has unfurled a story — and a burgeoning career — worth considering long after."


“A gripping movie with first-rate performances… an eyeopener.”


“A slow burn movie done right… with brilliant performances by Hall and Brill.”


“Shatara Michelle Ford has an assured, unique visual storytelling style.”


"Gripping and powerful."


Awards
  • Nominee: Best Feature, Breakthrough Director, Outstanding Performance – Gotham Awards

  • Winner: Lionsgate/STARZ Producer Award – BlackStar Film Festival

  • Winner: Jury Award – New Orleans Film Festival

  • Winner: Special Jury Award – DeadCenter Film Festival

  • Official Selection: Mill Valley Film Festival, Atlanta Film Festival, St. Louis Film Festival, Virginia Film Festival, Montclair Film Festival, Milwaukee Film Festival, Tacoma Film Festival, Cucalorus Film Festival

Cast
Brittany S. Hall
Will Brill
Gail Bean
Drew Fuller

Find a Theater Near You to Support


or
Venue City State Screening Options

a/perture cinema

Winston Salem

NC

ACME Screening Room

Lambertville

NJ

AFI Silver

Silver Spring

MD

All Saints Cinema / Tallahassee Film Society

Tallahassee

FL

Amherst Cinema

Amherst

MA

Arena Theater

Point Arena

CA

ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks

Bethlehem

PA

Athens Ciné

Athens

GA

Avalon Theatre

Washington

DC

Avon Theatre

Stamford

CT

BAM Rose Cinemas

Brooklyn

NY

Baxter Avenue Theatres

Louisville

KY

Belcourt Theatre

Nashville

TN

Bijou Theatre

Lincoln City

OR

Bozeman Film Society

Bozeman

MT

Bryn Mawr Film Institute

Bryn Mawr

PA

Burns Court Cinemas

Sarasota

FL

Cameo Art House Theatre

Fayetteville

NC

Cape Cinema

Dennis

MA

Carbon Arc Cinema

Halifax

NS

Chelsea Theater

Chapel Hill

NC

Cinema Arts Centre

Huntington

NY

Cinema Detroit

Detroit

MI

Cinema Paradiso

Hollywood

FL

Cinemapolis

Ithaca

NY

CinemaSavannah

Savannah

GA

CineSpeak

Philadelphia

PA

Circle Cinema

Tulsa

OK

Cleveland Cinemas

Cleveland

OH

Cleveland Cinematheque

Cleveland

OH

Coolidge Corner Theatre

Brookline

MA

Coral Gables Art Cinema

Coral Gables

FL

Crandell Theatre

Chatham

NY

Darkside Cinema

Corvallis

OR

Denver Film / Sie FilmCenter

Denver

CO

Des Moines Film Society

Des Moines

IA

Detroit Institute of Arts

Detroit

MI

Downing Film Center

Newburgh

NY

Enzian Theatre

Maitland

FL

Film Streams

Omaha

NE

FilmScene

Iowa City

IA

Fine Arts Theatres

Overland Park

KS

Flicks Theatre

Boise

ID

Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival

Fort Lauderdale

FL

Gateway Film Center

Columbus

OH

Goldtown Nickelodeon Theater

Juneau

AK

Grand Cinema

Tacoma

WA

Grand Illusion Cinema

Seattle

WA

Guild Cinema

Albuquerque

NM

Havre de Grace Cinema at the Opera House

Havre de Grace

MD

Historic Howell Theater

Howell

MI

IFC Center

New York

NY

Images Cinema

Williamstown

MA

International Film Series

Boulder

CO

Kiggins Theatre

Vancouver

WA

Laemmle Theatres

Los Angeles

CA

Liberty Theatre

Camas

WA

Lincoln Theatre

Mount Vernon

WA

Lumiere Cinema

Los Angeles

CA

Maine Film Center

Waterville

ME

mama.film

Wichita

KS

Martha's Vineyard Film Society

Vineyard Haven

MA

Montclair Film Festival

Montclair

NJ

MSP Film Society

Minneapolis

MN

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Houston

TX

Museum of the Moving Image

Astoria

NY

Music Box Theatre

Chicago

IL

Nantucket Film Festival

Nantucket

MA

New York Women in Film & Television

New York

NY

Nickelodeon Theatre

Columbia

SC

Oklahoma City Museum of Art

Oklahoma City

OK

Oxford Film Festival

Oxford

MS

Pickford Film Center

Bellingham

WA

Plaza Theatre

Atlanta

GA

Portland Museum of Art

Portland

ME

Red River Theatres

Concord

NH

Reg Lenna Center for the Arts

Jamestown

NY

Revue Cinema

Toronto

ON

Row House Cinema

Pittsburgh

PA

Roxie Theater

San Francisco

CA

Salem Cinema

Salem

OR

Salina Art Center

Salina

KS

Salt Lake Film Society

Salt Lake City

UT

Savor Cinema

Fort Lauderdale

FL

Screen Slate

Brooklyn

NY

Sneak Preview

SNF Parkway Theatre

Baltimore

MD

Sonoma Film Institute at SSU

Rohnert Park

CA

State Theatre

Modesto

CA

Suns Cinema

Washington

DC

Taking Over Presents

Brooklyn

NY

Tampa Theatre

Tampa

FL

The Cinematheque

Vancouver

BC

The Frida Cinema

Santa Ana

CA

The Future of Film is Female

Brooklyn

NY

The Grand Berry Theater

Fort Worth

TX

The Independent Picture House (Charlotte Film Society)

Charlotte

NC

The Little Theatre

Rochester

NY

The Loft Cinema

Tucson

AZ

The Moviehouse

Millerton

NY

The Nightlight Cinema

Akron

OH

The Ryder Film Series

Bloomington

IN

The Screening Room

Newburyport

MA

Time & Space Limited

Hudson

NY

Tivoli at the Nelson-Atkins

Kansas City

MO

Tropic Cinema

Key West

FL

United Theatre

Westerly

RI

UWM Union Cinema

Milwaukee

WI

Varsity Theatre

Davis

CA

Vickers Theatre

Three Oaks

MI

Violet Crown Austin

Austin

TX

Violet Crown Charlottesville

Charlottesville

VA

Violet Crown Santa Fe

Santa Fe

NM

Wellfleet Preservation Hall

Wellfleet

MA

Zeitgeist Theatre

Arabi

LA

Zinema 2

Duluth

MN