Nappily Ever After, an effective tale of self-empowerment, stars Sanaa Lathan as Violet. Vi was convinced by her mother and her upbringing that perfect hair was the key to happiness. We all know perfection isn’t possible, don’t we?
About half way through this movie I was convinced it was just another rom com dressed up with a theme about the issues Black woman have with their hair. I was preparing to be disappointed. Instead, I was surprised and delighted with the way Nappily Ever After turned out. It was an ode to self-acceptance. I’m so glad I watched it and I hope you will, too.
Yes, it was about Black women and their obsession with straightening their hair. But it was so much more than that. It had depth that was only slowly revealed because it was wrapped up in a story about finding perfect love and pleasing parents. Those were just the outer layers of the story. The inner layers were juicier and more beautiful – baldly beautiful, if I can be allowed a bad pun.
Outstanding actors like Lynn Whitfield, Ernie Hudson, Ricky Whittle, and Lyriq Bent filled the cast, but the real scene stealer was young Daria Johns as Zoe. Zoe exuded charm. The chemistry between Sanaa Lathan and Daria Johns was perfection.
Have you ever reached that point in life when you’re ready to shave it all off in pursuit of your true self? You’ll understand Violet, then.
I suggest you let yourself be inspired by Violet’s journey and that you watch Nappily Ever After. You can thank me later. This film is still available on Netflix.
Haifaa Al-Mansour directed this gem.
Take a look at the trailer.
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its hard to overstate the perceived importance of hair to American women and the effect that the White standard of beauty has had on American Black women. Chris Rock has a film called “Good Hair” which shines a light on hair and the Black community. i loved this movie in part because it was so real to me – i grew up with relatives who wore wigs so they could have hair that was valued by society at large and was always told how lucky i am to have “good hair,” i.e. hair that looked white. the thing i enjoyed most about the movie was that Black folk were portrayed as real people, not caricatures.
That’s exactly right.
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