Written and directed by Samuel Kay Forrest
Starring Samuel Kay Forrest, Marie Céline Yildirim, Judy LaDivina, Helmut Wößner
Running time: 1 hour and 29 minutes
Language: English
Available on Digital now

by Benjamin Leonard, Managing Zine Editor, Best Boy

Samuel Kay Forrest writes, directs, produces, and stars in HipBeat, leading me to believe this is a rather personal story for them. That mixed with this being a feature directorial debut can make this a bit of an uneven ride, storywise. But because of that, a genuineness and authenticity shines through.

While the film is sold as a queer/protest/rebellion story but, in truth, it focuses very little on that angst and much more on Angy (Forrest) trying to figure out who they are and where they fit. [A quick note on pronouns here, it’s not directly addressed in the film but I’m using they/them for Angy because the majority of the story shows them being uncertain in themself and their place in the world.] Through the journey to find themself, Angy is attending protests, getting arrested, doing drugs and having sex all around Berlin.

When I first finished my viewing, I was put off by Angy’s uncertainty/ambiguity, but I think that can very much be the point. Angy has a girlfriend they love and is generally masc presenting, but has secretly started going to drag shows and having sexual encounters with people of varying identities and interests. Angy is torn between the person they’ve been, the people they love, and the need to feel free in being themselves. Angy not knowing who they are was distressing to me. I wanted an answer for them and for me. 

Instead, what I realized was that HipBeat is an honest (and sometimes ugly) portrayal of the imperfect journey we are all on in finding ourselves. It was pretty distressing to witness Angy’s girlfriend find out that they had been having promiscuous and unsafe sex with multiple partners. But the key takeaway came blaring out of that scene that it is important to be honest and communicative with the ones you love as you are going through that self realization process. The characters seem to have settled on what works for them. That doesn’t need to be resolved or explained for the audience.

The performances are a bit of a mixed bag. None are bad or distracting, but Forrest is certainly the most assured. It’s clear that some other members of the cast are not especially comfortable with acting in English or are generally inexperienced in front of the camera. Meanwhile, the work behind the camera is quite nice. There are several very nice shots that I appreciated throughout.

My only significant gripe about the film is the political activist/rebel aspect of things. It's a big chunk of what drew me to the story but it's also the most convoluted and least fleshed out part. There's very little background or personal connection developed to resonate with the audience. Instead, there's just the suggestion that there are “big plans'' for some sort of upcoming “action” that is never described or shown on screen. Instead, we just get a lot of graffiti. Although, I did like the scene where Angy turns a swastika into a quadrant with peaceful images inside each square. 

I don’t think HipBeat, much like Angy, is going to change the world. But I do think that it can be a nice reflection on finding yourself and meshing what you find with your relationships and how you see the world. This might be just the film you need to get yourself thinking or start a conversation.