Test Pattern

MoMI is pleased to partner with Kino Lorber to bring Test Pattern directly to Museum members and patrons to view from home. To support the Museum, please use the link below to watch the film.

View Test Pattern from home (Tickets: $12 ). A portion of ticket sales benefits the Museum and its staff.

Dir. Shatara Michelle Ford. U.S., 2020, 82 mins. With Brittany S. Hall, Will Brill, Gail Bean. Debut writer-director Shatara Michelle Ford has crafted a gripping narrative centered on the perspective of Renesha (the remarkable Brittany S. Hall), a successful Black woman who works at a nonprofit and lives with her white artist boyfriend in Texas. Using a hazy, muted color palette to capture Renesha’s emotions and experiences, Ford dives deep into the dynamics of sex and power in contemporary society, revealing how effortlessly a man can violate a woman’s body. Test Pattern is a meticulously visualized and powerfully conceived exploration of the effects of systemic, patriarchal injustice. Winner of Lionsgate/STARZ Producer Award at the 2019 BlackStar Film Festival. A Kino Lorber Release. View trailer.

Content warning: This film includes a depiction of sexual assault.

Watch a remarkable discussion between Shatara Michelle Ford and James Gray (recorded on March 2).

“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.” —Soraya Nadia McDonald, Film Comment

“One of the year’s first true discoveries.” —Kate Erbland, Indiewire

“A gripping movie with first-rate performances.” —Sarah Fenske, St. Louis Public Radio