Trapped in the Spotlight, the new Lifetime film about the tumultuous relationship of fictitious R&B singing duo Luscious, begins with a break-up. On the cusp of releasing of their new album ‘Phoenix’, Lupita (Melyssa Ford) – the older, more seasoned performer – asks her boyfriend Marcel (Romaine Waite) to leak a story that Luscious is […]
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Considering the lengthy periods in between violent set-pieces, Trapped in the Spotlight could be stilted and boring, but Coleman and Ford’s chemistry is the film’s main selling point. Lupita and Neveah’s have very different personalities: the former has a weary motherly vibe compared to the latter’s more volatile, emotionally fragile nature.
The film gets a lot of mileage exploring what went unsaid and their respective motivations at the time of the break-up, which is surprisingly emotional and often extremely compelling to watch. In this capacity, the sisterhood is the backbone of the narrative and the two actresses sell these moments just as well as the film’s more conventional thriller aspects.
This comes into play when Lupita’s family make note of her absence. This brings Marcel and Lenny into the physical mix, as well as Simone and babysitter Roxanne (Sammy Jo Higgins), who are tasked with deciphering the clues that Lupita and Neveah have embedded in the new songs that reveal their location.
For the most part, though, the action often centers around the film’s male characters, including an early intervention by Marcel and Lenny. The former is well-meaning, but bland while the latter is an ogre, which means their rescue efforts are far less interesting than what the women are doing. The scenes in which Lenny and Marcel try to mount a rescue ultimately don’t carry a great deal of tension, because a) it’s early in the film and b) the women are clearly the heroes of the text, which means the responsibility for escaping will naturally fall to them.
The other factor in this equation is the film’s antagonist, Izaak. Alas Kabongo isn’t always believable as a threat. This is, in part, because the character is often beaten up or thwarted by the women, but also because of his tortured backstory, which presents Izaak in a sympathetic light that often contrasts his more violent moments.
Ackerley, Gill and Halfeld are caught between presenting Izaak as both a victim and a villain, which in theory should make him more complicated. Because Trapped in the Spotlight is less interested in him than Lupita and Neveah, however, the result is an uneven character whose role in the film is a bit murky.
Kabongo is better suited to the scenes when Izaak is trying to seduce Neveah to go along with his plan (after all her career stands to profit from the renewed interest in Luscious, even if she adamantly resents being associated with Lupita after being abandoned by her).
Thankfully the human drama within the glass cage is still plenty entertaining. Director Nicole G. Leir and editor Angelina Falco keep the film visually engaging, so even during the long stretches when the women are composing and singing, there are plenty of music video-esque sequences and montages to keep the film’s energy up.
It doesn’t hurt that the original songs – “One Life”, “Phoenix”, and “Angel Shot” – are believably catchy and well-produced (think early Destiny’s Child). It should be noted that the actresses are not singing (vocals are performed by Kibra Tesfaye and Vaness Alegacy) which means Coleman and Ford are lip-synching and not always believably. Still, both of them sell the musical sequences with their enthusiasm.
Overall, Trapped in the Spotlight is worth a watch. The thriller aspects are slight compared to some other Lifetime films, but that’s arguably to the film’s benefit because the narrative is fully invested in the human drama.
Trapped in the Spotlight is at its best when it is exploring Lupita and Neveah’s complicated relationship; the imprisonment, murder and mayhem is there to compliment and reinforce what’s important in the film. And that’s sisterhood forever.
Trapped in the Spotlight airs Saturday, February 15 on Lifetime.