Cert 15 Stars 4

This accomplished debut comedy drama sees playwright Radha Blank direct and star as a fictionalised version of herself who responds to her impending fortieth birthday by reinventing herself as a rapper.

Unafraid to put her personal insecurities front and centre, Blank employs a traditional narrative structure to explore the female African American experience while gleefully mocking the self-important inhabitants of New York’s theatreland and exposing their prejudice and exploitative behaviour.

Filmed on location the grainy black and white photography and handheld camerawork creates intimacy and gives Blank’s lightly plotted tale a coarse edge to match her excellent sense of humour.