Let’s get this out of the way: Donna and Ally is not a polished movie. Hell, it’s not even a movie that always entirely makes sense. But it is a movie that — over the course of 83 minutes — will win you over with heart and humor. Most importantly, it has two lead characters with whom you might just fall head-over-heels in love.
‘Donna and Ally’ Is a Heartwarming Ode to Friends, Hustling and Oakland Itself
Qing Qi as Ally and Cousin Shy as Donna in ‘Donna and Ally.’ (Pretty Papa Productions)
Set in Oakland, the story is about Ally (played by rapper Qing Qi) and Donna (Cousin Shy, who also wrote and executive produced the movie) who’ve been best friends since the teen years they spent in a group home together. Since running away from the home at 16 years old, the duo has been hustling to survive and dreaming of a day when they wouldn’t just be scraping by anymore. A major hindrance to their success: Donna’s temper. When facing any kind of criticism or threat, Donna launches herself at the problem with both fists first, and leaves it to Ally to worry about the consequences later.
After losing their jobs at a local strip club, Donna and Ally must get extra creative to make rent. When a guy Donna punched at the club tracks her down and asks for more of the same, the duo set up a dominatrix dungeon in their studio apartment. It’s there that Donna finally figures out how to turn her inner rage into cold, hard cash — whipping, beating and humiliating people who actually enjoy it — and Ally turns into the boss she always knew she could be.
Often absurd, and awash with winks and nods to the audience, Donna and Ally is held together by the realistic and endearing friendship at its center. Shy and Qi both shine in their roles, even when faced with some decidedly clunky acting from a couple of the side characters. Both women also have a delightful knack for delivering dry humor.
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Shy is radiant and memorable on screen, but it’s Qi’s consistently unselfconscious performance that ultimately steals the show. (The sight of her lying spreadeagled on a giant inflatable swan inside a tiny inflatable pool belongs on a line of T-shirts.) Qi’s music also offers the perfect soundtrack to this story, with “IDWIW” an outstanding anthem for these rebellious entrepreneurs. (The twosome’s ridiculous dance routine to “Talking on the Phone Is Cancerous” is also a high point.)
When the credits roll, Donna and Ally isn’t quite the “Oakland Cinderella Story” it proclaims to be. Not because there isn’t true love at the center of it — there’s plenty of that — but because the love doesn’t come from some fantasy prince. Rather, at its core, this is a tale about women supporting other women and the enduring value of female friendships. By the end of it, you’ll wish Donna and Ally, messy as they are, were your best friends too.
‘Donna and Ally’ premieres at Oakland’s New Parkway Theater (474 24th St.) on Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. Tickets here.
