Touch of Pink

Touch of Pink is the story of Alim (Jimi Mistry), an Ismaili-Canadian Muslim currently living a secret life in London, England with his British economist lover. It's a life that he has purposely kept hidden from his mother and the rest of his extensive family back home in Toronto. Unfortunately his quest to "find himself" is interrupted as his mother, on the eve of her nephew's wedding, decides to go to London and set her son's life straight. The usual deceptions and high-jinks follow as Alim tries to keep both his sexuality and the man he loves a secret from his mother's judging eyes. Touch of Pink is a well-intentioned film that somehow falls short because what remains most memorable is not Alim's "coming out" story but his continuing relationship with his imaginary childhood friend, who just happens to be his mind's incarnation of Cary Grant. The film is speckled throughout with conversations with the imaginary Cary (Kyle MacLachlan in an inflated performance), who falls somewhere between trusted confidant and (missing) father figure, continually offering advice to the faltering Alim, who is torn between family and his own identity. While this is interesting because the audience is well aware that Alim occupies the Cary persona, it also acts as an aside to the plot too often, breaking the momentum of the genuine familial interaction. Marketed as a romantic comedy and seemingly well received as such, Touch of Pink does not play out as overtly funny; the best one-liners are reserved for the imaginary Cary Grant. And while the subject matter opens the doorway for some deeper exploration of sexuality and status within Muslim culture, only the necessary social commentary (rife to a certain extent with stereotypes) is present. The extras are limited to one deleted scene, a trailer, a behind-the-scenes peek at filming and a short "making of" featurette. (Mongrel Media)