History Film / BeyondTheLights

* FollowingInRelativesFootsteps: Kaz joined the LAPD, where his father is a captain. It appears this was at his old man's wish.

* MissingMom: Kaz's mother is never seen or mentioned.

* AbusiveParents: Macy Jean is not, for the most part, physically abusive towards Noni and she isn't ''trying'' to be emotionally abusive towards her, but her StageMom attitude is one of the things that drove Noni into depression. See DrivenToSuicide below.

* BookEnds: The film starts with Noni singing "Blackbird" by Music/NinaSimone at a local talent competition and winning massive appeal from the audience but disappointment from her mother when she places second. The film ends with Noni [[spoiler: debuting a song she has written titled "Blackbird" at a concert in London while her mother listens wistfully via a cellphone in America.]]

''Beyond the Lights'' is a 2014 romantic drama directed by Creator/GinaPrinceBlythewood starring Creator/GuguMbathaRaw, Creator/MinnieDriver and Nate Parker.

* TriangRelations: Briefly a type 7, but Noni quickly ends things with Kid Culprit once things between her and Kaz start to get serious.

* BareYourMidriff Virtually all of Noni's outfits in the first half of the movie do this, [[ReluctantFanserviceGirl much to]] [[DrivenToSuicide her chagrin]].

* PlayingGertrude: {{Downplayed}}. It's said that Macy had Noni at seventeen. Creator/GuguMbathaRaw plays Noni, and she's thirteen years younger than Creator/MinnieDriver, who portrays Macy.

** When Noni [[PublicExposure poses topless]] for a magazine photo shoot, the audience only sees her bare back from the back.,

* MrFanservice: Count the number of times Kaz appears {{shirtless|Trope}}.

* GodivaHair: In-Universe. Near the beginning of the movie, we see a cover of Vibe Magazine featuring Noni and Kid Culprit- with the former's bare chest covered only by her strategically placed weave.
* GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex: Noni and Kaz. This is to contrast Noni's forced oversexed public image.

* MrFanservice: Count the number of times Kaz appears shirtless.

* ToplessnessFromTheBack: During the Mexico montage, Kaz removes Noni's top, after which they are briefly seen romantically embracing with Noni's bare back facing the camera.
** Notably, this is only present in the theatrical version, the Blu-ray director's cut shows that the original scene continues, with the scene getting pretty steamy.

* YouMustBeCold: During their first date, Kaz offers Noni his suit jacket for both warmth and as a way to preserve her modesty as she is wearing a revealing dress.

* AllAbusersAreMale: Played with. Macy's micromanaging of Noni's life is portrayed as a form of abuse. That being said, in Kaz's B-Plotline, he saves a woman from her physically abusive husband.

** One could argue that[[spoiler:Kid Culprit's treatment of Noni at the BET Awards]] is a form of this as well, seeing as how they were in a semi-romantic relationship until just prior to the show.

* GodivaHair: In-Universe. Near the beginning of the movie, we see a cover of Vibe Magazine featuring Noni and Kid Culprit-with the former's bare chest covered only by her strategically placed weave.

* MixedAncestry: Noni is explicitly depicted as biracial. Though her father is never shown in the film, she identifies as black and her mother, who is shown, is white.

* AbusiveParents: Macy Jean is never truly physically abusive towards Noni (she DOES cross the line a bit at one point by slapping her daughter in anger during an argument) and she isn't ''trying'' to be emotionally abusive towards her, but her StageMom attitude is one of the things that drove Noni into depression. See DrivenToSuicide below.

* HeldGaze: Gina Prince-Bythewood's signature. A special shout out to the one after Kaz saves Noni.

* {{Jerkass}}: [[spoiler:Kid Culprit, who proves himself to be petty and cruel, opting to publicly humiliate her during their performance at the BET Awards, after Noni rejects him and tries to reform her image a bit. See DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything]].

* LighterAndSofter: Played straight and played with. Noni ultimately sheds her hyper-sexual, bad girl image in favor of a more natural one that is closer to who she actually is. The content of her music however shifts from focusing on sex and partying (industry standard) to discussing her coming to terms with and tackling her depression.

* WrongGuyFirst: '''''Kid Culprit.''''' See FaceHeelTurn for more explanation.
* YouAreNotAlone: Kaz pretty much spends the entire movie proving this to Noni.
-->''"I see you!"''
-->--'''Kaz'''

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The BET performance. The entire performance was already primed to be extremely sexual with Noni and Kid Culprit simulating sex on a bed on stage. But it begins to cross the line into dangerous territory when Noni, trying to shed off some of her sexual image, refuses to strip on-stage as was choreographed and maneuvers herself out from underneath Kid Culprit on the bed. He in turn furiously pushes her down several times and attempts to disrobe her, much to hers and to some of the audience's shock. Continuing the performance, Noni slides down Kid Culprit's legs, only to have him hold her head down near his crotch, refusing to let her up even when she tries to get up several times. The performance ends with Noni publicly humiliated. The sexual-assault imagery is so overt that ByTheBookCop Kaz winds up punching Kid Culprit on stage on national television.

** One could argue that Kid Culprit's treatment of Noni at the BET Awards is a form of this as well, seeing as how they were in a semi-romantic relationship until just prior to the show.

** The camera makes sure to give us a good look at Kaz's house on our first visit there, revealing [[spoiler: inspirational quotes tacked up all over the place and TONS of books, most of which are justice-themed and/or about/by powerful black figures such as President Obama, among other things]].

* HeldGaze: Gina Prince-Bythewood is the QUEEN of this. A special shout out to the one after Kaz saves Noni.
* ItsAllAboutMe: While it is clear by the end of the film that Macy truly loves Noni, she prioritizes her own desires for Noni over what Noni actually wants, and is more than willing to allow the record label to hypersexualize Noni as long as it means Noni gets famous and [[spoiler: Macy is able to rise above the low-expectations everyone had of her growing up.]] Noni even [[CallingTheOldManOut calls her out]] on it point blank: "It was never about me, it was always about you."
* {{Jerkass}}: Kid Culprit, who proves himself to be petty and cruel, opting to publicly humiliate her during their performance at the BET Awards, after Noni rejects him and tries to reform her image a bit. See DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything.

** Poor Noni actually has this happen to her twice in the film: the first time was at the very beginning, when her ten-year-old self proudly and happily won second place in a talent competition-only for her mother to make her chuck her trophy because SecondPlaceIsForLosers.

* BeautifulDreamer: Two examples. First, Kaz tucks an exhausted Noni into bed upon arrival in Mexico. He then spends a few moments watching over her (and lovingly stroking her, aww!). The second instance is pretty much the reverse: Noni wakes up (again in Mexico) in the middle of the night and takes the opportunity to tenderly explore the tattoo on Kaz's back. In a bit of a zig-zag, it turns out that Kaz is actually awake, though Noni never realizes it.

* DownerBeginning: The movie starts off with young Noni proudly getting 2nd place in a talent competition...and then her mother forcing her to throw out the trophy because second place isn't good enough for her (AFTER hugging her and telling her she was proud of her prior to the judges delivering their verdict, no less- ouch!), crushing Noni's excitement and joy.