Unless you saw his appearance on the 24th May 2010 episode of The Graham Norton Show or noticed him in his rather obscure cameo appearance as the head of Starfleet Academy in last year’s Star Trek movie, the name Tyler Perry is unlikely to mean much to any British people reading this.

After all, it was only this September that a Tyler Perry film first got released in this country despite his films having been like clockwork in American cinemas – where he is currently eight for eight in the box office hit department –
since all the way back in 2005. And given that that film, a sequel (not exactly a great starting point) entitled Why Did I Get Married Too’ (or to quote its full title Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too? – Perry’s name is a very big draw in the states), was only released in a very limited number of cinemas and then didn’t do that well, it doesn’t necessarily seem like any of this is going to change any time soon. But this doesn’t mean that this shouldn’t change. And given that his latest film, For Colored Girls (Tyler Perry’s name is not part of the title this time as this is his first movie not to be based on one of his own works), is a complete departure from his previous kind of filmmaking, being a serious drama rather than a comedy, this could certainly be a good time for awareness of Tyler Perry to rise in the British Isles. 

Adapted for the screen from Ntozake Shange’s award-winning (in 1977 it won awards both on and off Broadway including a Tony Award and an Obie Award) 1975 experimental play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf (now there’s a mouthful of a title), this reverent adaptation for screen is a poetic exploration of what it is to be of colour and female in this world.

The story, a milestone in American Theatre, speaks as powerfully today as when it was first performed in New York in 1975. Through this remarkable adaptation we are taught about existence and hardship from the perspective of eight black women (seven of whom are based on the play’s seven characters) through twenty poems. Exploring themes of love, abandonment, rape and abortion, the eight women are played by an impressive ensemble cast that includes Kimberly Elise, Janet Jackson, Loretta Devine, Thandie Newton, Anika Noni Rose, Kerry Washington, Tessa Thompson and Whoopi Goldberg. Other players in the all female, all of colour cast include Phylicia Rashad and Macy Gray. 

Following in the rather distant footsteps of the 2009 film Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire, For Colored Girls is of a very rare breed of movies – those aimed squarely at those of colour, tackling the very real issues that these people face without resorting to stereotypical representations of characters. There is most definitely not going to be much else like this anytime soon. 

Written for the screen, produced and directed by Tyler Perry, For Colored Girls looks set to be a visually and lyrically distinctive film that is really set apart from the majority of output that we tend to see from America and if you want to see something truly innovative or original this certainly looks like it may be worth checking out when it hits cinemas.