With their colourful yet recognisable Unicorns, directors James Floyd and Sally El Hosaini demonstrate their keen understanding of the reality that star-crossed couples are always ready for the big screen. Although the term “mechanism meets drag queen” isn’t yet widely used in the genre, the movie does a great job of arguing that this unique coupling should be included in the canon.
Drag queen Aysha (Jason Patel) and mechanic and single father Luke (Ben Hardy) are the tragic lovers in this story. After a silent, euphoric encounter in a bar, Luke discovers his object of passion has an Adam’s apple, and things start to get complicated. While overt bigotry may seem dated in movies, it nevertheless has the same terrible effect in real life.
The combination of Luke and Aysha is more interesting than the individual performances.
The film delves deeply into the concept of family protection and self-expression, examining what it means to safeguard your children from harm in all age groups and situations. As Luke struggles with his role as a father, managing co-parenting, and adjusting to adulthood, Aysha’s firmly ingrained family beliefs pose a danger to everything she believes she and Luke are capable of.
However, the plot of this romance is a tired one: it’s another tale of a firecracker dream girl who finds a stern, reserved partner (Hardy does a great job), and everything goes well—until it doesn’t. While Patel’s eyes are full of potential when he is in a state of passionate bliss, Luke and Aysha as a duo are more captivating than any one of them alone. After the credits roll, there seems to be a lot more story to be told, but for some reason, the will-they-won’t-they dilemma seems to be the least significant.
A charming, although predictable, story about star-crossed lovers. Wordless seduction is the main attraction; stay for drag queens, the intricacies of fatherhood, and family ties that demand more of your attention.