And then...

Forewarning: Spoiler Alerts for "Nappily Ever After" (2018) and "Something New" (2006)

As a kid in elementary, I loved the fill in the blank exercises and free-writing assignments where my teachers gave me an opportunity to write whatever came to mind. I was always eager to stand up and share my stories with my classmates and excited to hear how much all of ours differed. It was always a huge confidence boost when I received praise for my writing, but funny enough, I also loved my early introduction to the editing process. I had an elementary school teacher named Mrs. Sprott who would mark up my handwritten papers in red, but always signed it with a smiley face. She described constructive criticism as a ladder (though I'm sure she babied the language down a bit for us) and I was determined to get better and better at writing by metaphorically climbing that ladder. She was the first person to really connect the dots for me and though it's obvious, I'd never thought of it in that way. My brothers were both athletes during my elementary days, so I was familiar with the concept and how it applied to sports, but that discussion with Mrs. Sprott was the first time I thought about creative writing as a skill that could be developed.

I might be in the minority here, but I really enjoy books and movies that leave the audience on a cliffhanger. The most recent examples of this for me were Avenger's: Infinity War, Ant-man and the Wasp, and "Nappily Ever After," a Netflix original film adaption of mosaicked stories from a series of books by Trisha Thomas, starring Sanaa Latham. There are so many standalone films based on books that seek to follow a formula or set of instructions that require a finite ending where their main characters find resolve and closure. What ends up happening in some of these cases, much to the authors' chagrin, is it leaves no room for the imagination. The audience is limited by the biased perspective of the film creators and does not feel like they are invited to collaborate in the creative process; to fill in the blanks, decide what color top Jacob wore to the Farmer's Market where he bumped into his ex-wife, what sports car Mary speeds in along the coast with the top down, what skin color the bartender at happy hour has, what hairstyle Tara wore on her first day as a medical resident, or the sound of Gabriel's raspy voice after years of chain smoking. These are valuable moments of creative and emotional buy-in that are lost in the audio-visual experience.

Though I haven't read any of Trisha Thomas' books, the end of the film does a good job of holding true to the notion of independence. The audience witnesses Violet, the film's main character, undergoes a total transformation initiated by the unearthing of her insecurities concerning her relationships with men, her parents, and her self image. Most of her self image is wrapped up in her bone straight, long hair. When she is no longer able to hide behind it, she is left vulnerable and is catapulted into the work of overcoming her insecurities. Most of the ensuing action between then and the final scene are pretty routine and enjoyable to watch. It reminds me a lot Sanaa's portrayal of Kenya in Something New (2006), which has a similar story line and plot points (which I don't mind). The most distinguishing factor between the two films was watching Violet walk through the doors at the end of the film by herself as compared to images of Kenya's backyard wedding. There was no fairytale wedding, though I believe that she has identified a man who values her and is a worthy suitor, so that might be on the horizon for her, if she chooses. There was no grand finish, but I felt closure in knowing that she is finally happy with herself, independent of the influence of the male gaze, a heavy theme throughout the movie; the male gaze was her source of validation when walking to and through her office each workday with men turning their heads to watch her. It was the thing she anticipated when her handsome, doctor boyfriend woke up in the morning to her freshly pressed hair and silk nighty. I feel the writers used the ending to pan the camera/mirror around to the audience, challenging our role in reinforcing and anticipating this gaze. I can’t deny that I expected this film to end with Violet kissing the “man of her dreams” at the end of their wedding ceremony located in the garden they visited on their first date. The ending allowed me to fill in the blanks. Here's my take on Violet's Nappily Ever After beyond the rolling credits:

* Home alone and hard at work at her computer, the camera enters the room at an angle that first allows us to see her shoes from earlier scattered in the floor. She is sitting at the computer, still dressed in her clothes from before, barefoot*

After her first successful meeting as a freelancing, media consultant, Violet races home to solidify her new business plan for her new company, "Media in Full Bloom." As the documents print, she walks to the kitchen and we see the name of the business on the computer screen. She sits on her couch in the living room with a single glass and bottle of champagne to celebrate. Violet pops the bottle and pours a glass for herself as Lola, her dog, looks on with raised ears, tilting her head. She laughs as she looks around and notices a picture of Zoe on her mantle in a handmade frame, painted with the letters "BFF." She walks over and picks up the picture, smiles and takes a deep breath then slowly finishes her glass.

*Next day in her kitchen with her mom sitting in the same chair she sat in earlier in the film*

Violet is trimming the ends of her mom's hair and doing a protective style with flat twists in preparation for a date with her dad tonight. They are talking about what she'll wear. She decides on a vibrant, off the shoulder, yellow dress, one that she knows her dad will like.

Violet opens a vial of Will's organic scalp rub to oil her scalp with a small grin, briefly reminiscing.

Changing the subject, her mom, cleverly prying, asks, “How’d you come to learn so much about styling natural hair?”

They begin talking about her easygoing relationship with Will and how, aside from her healthy love life, she feels happy and in love with herself.

Her mom talks about how grateful she is to finally, at age __, be in love with herself and experience a true sense of independence, thanks to her daughter‘s example. She states that the student has become the teacher.

The scene ends with Violet detangling a section of her hair, resulting in her mom wincing in pain. Violet jokes about her needing to keep still and the two erupt in laughter. India Arie's I Choose, India Arie's Beautiful Flower, or India Arie's Strength, Courage and Wisdom plays as the credits roll in.

“In a world ordered by sexual imbalance, pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female. The determining male gaze projects its phantasy on to the female form which is styled accordingly. In their traditional exhibitionist role women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact so that they can be said to connote to-be-looked-at-ness.” - Laura Mulvey, Visual and Other Pleasures (1989)

My Big Chop (BC) to a Teeny Weeny Afro (TWA) on 12/09/2015. For a lot of Naturalistas, the date of their BC is sacred and marks a rebirth or rites of passage. For me, it was the start of a journey to move closer to my more authentic, healthier self.

I’d love to read your take on the movie or even your ideas about what happens beyond the rolling credits. Add your stories and reviews in the comments below!

Thanks for reading.

#NappilyEverAfter #naturalhair #insecurities #beauty #identity #sanaalatham #andthen #independence #generationaltrauma #malegaze #naturalista