Touch of Pink

A comic clash of cultures, values, and sexuality, Ian Iqbal Rashid’s Touch of Pink cleverly borrows from several cinematic traditions to concoct this romantic romp. Alim is an Ismaili Canadian who lives in London, thousands of miles from his family, for one very good reason—he has a boyfriend. His ideal gay life begins to unravel when his mother shows up to find him a proper Muslim girlfriend and convince him to return to Canada for his cousin’s extravagant wedding.

As orchestrated by Rashid, this classic cast of characters perform marvelously, creating opposing worlds that begin to collide—the judgmental mother, crazy relatives, a bevy of trendy Londoners, and especially Jimi Mistry as the confused Alim. But the most ingenious device is the Topper-esque ghost of Cary Grant who appears in Alim’s fantasy world. Kyle MacLachlan does a hilarious star turn as Grant instructs Alim on the finer points of living in the closet.

Rashid’s love of cinema is obvious in every frame. He interweaves nostalgia with modern subject matter. Pace and comic timing are perfect as Alim is coaxed to a place where he must finally decide his own destiny. Touch of Pink begins like a sugar-dipped confection, but it leaves much stronger medicine in its wake. –Sundance Film Festival