Upon watching the film Black Girl I was first intrigued that it was black and white since we have moved to Samuel Fosso's photography, the first photographer we have studied who dabbles with color photography. The film features a young black woman from Dakar eager to find a job taking care of children in France. Initially she is approached by her soon to be mistress because of her calm demeanor. While in Dakar, her mistress gives her some of her old clothing, jewelry and shoes, which she wears in pride. Her former apparel is traditional and she does not wear shoes. Before she leaves the man she seems to have relations with seems unhappy with her choice to leave and become "a domestic slave". She seems to pay him no attention and walks across a wall dreaming about her new life in France. Her mother is proud and when she leaves she takes a mask with her, perhaps a piece of her identity.
The concept of beauty is very evident in this film. Much of the concepts in the film mirror the approaches to Samuel Fosso's photography. Fosso wanted to transport his clients to places they couldn't go and capture himself as handsome as he possibly could. By wearing her mistresses clothing Diouana almost transports herself to France before she moves there. She wants to feel beautiful like the European women and immerse herself in their culture. She idolizes her French mistress and mirrors her beauty by wearing her clothing so willingly, expecting it to bring her happiness. Once she arrives in France she continues to wear her "new" fancy clothing and even mops and cleans the kitchen and bathroom in heels. She is displeased with her position and feels that she spends the majority of her time between the kitchen and her bedroom when she should be taking care of the children. Nonetheless she plans to use her pay to buy her own pretty dresses,
shoes, wigs and other accessories and then have her picture taken. She claims she will, “send it
back to Dakar…and they’ll all die of jealousy”. This concept of impressing friends and family is one that Keita embraced while photographing African people. Diouana's perception of beauty is blurred by lavish items and the colonization of the time.
g
As the film continues Diouana finds that this beautiful culture confines her to their homes walls. She is viewed merely as the cook and treated like an animal. Her mistress starts to yell at her and refers to her as lazy, while her mistress's husband constantly asks if she is feeling ill when she refuses to complete her tasks. She insults her by calling her useless when she doesn't make coffee and tells her she can't wear there heels anymore because "the picnic is over". She takes the shoes off and walks barefoot to
the table to get herself some coffee and the camera focuses on her bare feet.
She leaves her heels on the floor and the mistress brings them to her and tells
her if she doesn’t do what’s she’s supposed to she won’t eat. The action of taking off her shoes is a metaphor of Diuoana stripping away her new found identity, leaving her vulnerable and broken in a society masked by beauty. Her bare feet seem to mirror the concept in Algerian Unveiled. When the women were forced to take off their veils it changed part of their beliefs, it belittled them to animals just as taking off shoes belittles Diuoana. It creates an uncivilized being. Animals don't wear clothing and by making her take off her shoes (an item created as humans evolved to aid their survival) it diminished her status as a powerful and beautiful woman.
I found that the moment she fought her mistress for the mask one of the most significant moments. I interpreted it as Diuoana searching for an identity after she had given up her own and tried to embrace another one. When she commits suicide, she lies naked in a tub. This act of nakedness demonstrates Diuoana's feelings towards herself at the end of the film. She is completely vulnerable and without an identity. The film ends with the little boy we see in the beginning wearing the mask as he follows the husband to Diouana's former mistress, when he returns her belongings. As the film is about to end he removes the mask. I think it is very telling of beauty and identity. For me it shows that our identity is with our culture not our expensive clothing and accessories. Diuoana's family and friends proves this idea when they, like her, refuse money from the husband.
A final thought is with the concept of flashbacks. I think the use of them is to function like a photograph as a means to reflect on our lives. Diouana refers to her previous life when she feels imprisoned, the way in which people look back on moments such as parties or gatherings to relive their happiness. Audrey Hepburn once said that the happiest girls are the prettiest girls, yet it has been a constant misconception in societies across the centuries that beauty is on the surface and at a place beyond home. Black Girl contradicts just that.
I
No comments:
Post a Comment