The eccentrically titled Unicorns is an upfront exploration of queer identity, underscoring how this journey can start at any time for anyone. Unicorns depicts London-based drag queen Aysha (Jason Patel) and the sparks that fly when she stumbles across single dad and car mechanic Luke. After a bad start, Aysha hires Luke (Ben Hardy) as a driver to get her to performances.
Of course, that initial chemistry doesn’t go away, but the burgeoning romance is obstructed by Luke’s implicit biases and the familial pressure placed on Aysha, or Ashiq, when out of drag. What follows is what comes across as a completely natural road to self-discovery, with some hopeless road bumps, until the characters just accept their feelings all at once.
Unicorns Is One Of The Sweetest Queer Romance Movies Because Of Its Lack Of Fanfare
Luke & Aysha Find Their Way With Time & Steadfast Support
Luke and Aysha meet when he accidentally wanders into a club during one of her gorgeous performances, and they flirt and kiss, all before he realizes she is a drag queen. It’s a disconcerting scene to watch when it could have turned dangerous for Aysha with a different person, but Luke ultimately just heads home.
Are there any huge transformative moments of self-realization? Not so much as private moments of reflection, which both lead actors portray beautifully.
Luke is still deeply uncomfortable when Aysha tracks him down, but he could use the money. One night chauffeuring leads to another, and walls start to come down as Luke simply spends more time with Aysha in her world, going from waiting in the car to watching performances, from making awkward small talk to laughing and singing along.
It’s to the point where a night driving Aysha around intersects with him dropping off his son, leading to an adorable scene of the three of them going to a carnival together. The movie overall shows a lovely natural progression of dismantling prejudices, yet taking that next step is still nerve-wracking.
Are there any huge transformative moments of self-realization? Not so much as private moments of reflection, and a nonchalant attitude about labels — “My only pronouns are icon and legend,“Sites Aysha. Luke quietly reaches a point where he commits to his feelings, which have changed him fundamentally by the time Aysha truly needs him.
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Unicorns also depicts the temptation of going back to the known and the safe; Luke reconnects with his ex-wife Emma (Hannah Onslow), and Ashiq considers giving it all up and conforming to his family’s expectations. We see that there are places for family and religion in their lives, but they can’t give up the part of themselves that others may detest, either, or else they wouldn’t be unicorns.
Unicorns’ Drag Show Scenes Are A Sight To Behold, Capturing The Electricity & Empowerment
The Music & Dance In This Movie Remind You What The Hard Parts Are All For
Unicorns’ sequences of Aysha and other drag performances are dazzling, drawing you into the party for just a moment. Aysha and her friends are also bringing elements of South Asian culture into their productions, and the cinematography and editing really do justice to this art form.
All I can say is that Unicorns’ sequences of Aysha and other drag performances are dazzling, drawing you into the party for just a moment.
The club scenes are the highs, but other moments in Unicorns capture just the right romantic joy or sorrow with a fun soundtrack and some clever framing and tricks of light. Luke occasionally returns to a field that is always where he is at his most lost, and new beginnings arise whenever Aysha walks up to the garage where he works.
Unicorns is fascinating for such a simple movie, largely due to the testaments of a struggling single parent trying to make ends meet, as well as the references to the sometimes harrowing experiences of being queer and South Asian, all set against the backdrop of a casually evolving romance that feels so very real.
Unicorns is in select theaters on July 18 and will expand on July 25.
Unicorns
9/10
- Release Date
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July 5, 2024
- Runtime
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120 minutes
- Director
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James Floyd
- Producers
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Bill Pohlad, Kim Roth, Stephen Daldry, Trudie Styler, Celine Rattray, Philip Herd
- Incredible drag performance scenes, showing off Asyha and co?s talent
- A lack of typical narrative markers and relationship labels pushes for simply celebrating the relationship
- Subtle and emotional performances across the board tie together the moments of despair and how the characters come back from them