Cinderella Story In Gina Prince-Bythewood's Beyond The Lights

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl named Cinderella. She lived with her wicked stepmother and two stepsister who treated her like a servant. One day, they were invited to a ball at the king’s castle, but Cinderella’s wicked stepmother would not let her go. Against her stepmother’s orders, Cinderella attended the ball and met the prince who she fell madly in love with. Together they lived happily ever after.

The familiar tale of Cinderella has made its way through history for centuries. However, the highly identifiable plot of Cinderella still continues to be a popular theme today: a young girl cast into isolation, suffering, and pain who is saved by a young prince charming. In her film Beyond the Lights, Gina Prince-Bythewood draws upon aspects of the Cinderella story through the demanding life of Noni, a famous pop singer. Unlike Cinderella, Noni may not have a glass slipper or evil stepmother, yet she finds her way out of an unhappy existence. Gina Prince-Bythewood’s Beyond the Lights is a nontraditional Cinderella story that reflects how the traditional roles of the prince and princess become gender neutral. Noni and Kaz are saved by one another as both characters are faced with the unyielding expectations of their parents, the inability to overcome fears, and the finding of their true selves.

Noni, a young girl from the London

Kaz saves Noni from the hypersexualized music industry forced upon her by her controlling mother who fails to acknowledge Noni’s true self. Similarly, Noni offers Kaz an alternative life by allowing Kaz to become more aware of his fear, feelings, and self. In this nontraditional Cinderella story, Noni and Kaz save each other from the unyielding expectations of their parents, the inability to overcome fears, and the finding of their true