Netflix portrayed the meaning of a true hero with its soul-touching film “Beyond the Lights” which came to movie theaters on November 14, 2014.
“Beyond the Lights” was written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. It is a down-to-earth film about an on-the-rise popstar named Noni Jean who is living her life through the eyes of her manager and mother, Macy. Her life consists of bars and boys, and shows herself very little self-respect. After winning her first song of the year at an award show, her rising fame becomes too much for her, and she decides to jump off of the balcony in her hotel. Right when she begins to slip off, the hotel cop named Kaz rushes and saves her before she falls, showing her that there really is a person out there who cares about the real Noni. As days go on and her and Kaz grow closer, he shows her how genuine and pure life can actually be. It truly shows how real love can change a person’s perspective on their life.
A beautiful trait in this story was the meaning of being a hero. Kaz was just a normal, middle class, working cop who never imagined his life would change in the blink of an eye. The moment he saved Noni from falling off of the balcony, he proved to everyone, especially Noni, that there are really people out there who care about others, and not just for their fame. He would have saved her regardless of how much money or fame she had, and that right there was what writer Prince-Bythewood had in mind when she wanted to show off a character who was a genuine hero. It provided a perfect example of how to act in a situation like that and had proven that heroes can exist, even if they are just normal people.
Another great asset to this movie was that it showed the realness of a pop star’s life. It proved that it is not all that it is cracked up to be, and that itself was the most powerful moral in this movie. It was so good, especially because it either left audiences completely shocked at the fact that a pop star’s life was really like that, or it just confirmed how some people thought it actually was. Noni, the popstar in speaking, revealed that you don’t have to use fame in a disturbing and explicit way. After she realized that the person she was becoming was not who she actually was or who she wanted to be, she used her fame to embrace her ethnicity. She was finally able to write songs that came from her heart and was not another songwriter who knew nothing about who she actually was. It brought so much authenticity to the film and is one of the reasons it still continues to shine today.
“Beyond the Lights” showed what the true meaning of being a hero is, and that being a hero doesn’t always require wearing a cape. There are tons of romance movies on Netflix today, but there is still one yet to beat the message “Beyond the Lights” has. Conveying the genuine reason of heroism is one of the best things anyone can learn. It is rated PG-13 and receives a very worthy five-star rating. This movie convinces many that there is nothing better than the message of heroism.
