Langston is in Florida, classes are over, (I do have a couple projects to finish but…no biggie) and I'm sitting in my house with first day off (no work no school). So what have I been doing…nothing, mostly, and it feels great. However, one of the things I have been doing (along with traipsing around Columbus in search of live music ) is catching up on my movie time. This has come with some thinking. Hmmm…thoughts thoughts thoughts...
Reaching into my DVD collection, within my top five movies is "Boomerang," the 1992 movie with Eddie Murphy, Robin Givens, and Halle Berry. The rest are, for the most part, Spike Lee joints…among them being "She's Gotta Have It" (Spike Lee's first film in 1986). I am/have been intrigued by Jacqueline (Robin Givens). There is something powerful about Jacqueline's easy nonchalant dismissiveness. "Ok Marcus, it's over." The end. Cut and scene. She catches a cab and it's a wrap. We can imagine that she teared up on her way home or secretly has some deep-seated emotional challenges but we don't get that from her character in the movie. We just believe she has moved on. I would imagine that a lot of women wish they could channel their inner Jacqueline. Throw those pesky emotions away. But for many of my friends and I we find ourselves much more like Angela (Halle Berry). Ok, ok. I was hoping to avoid this gene (passed down from my mother) but…sigh…its true. I'm a romantic (DAYUM!). Like Angela, we see this nice attractive guy, he's cool, (we may see some potential red flags but the obvious good seems to outweigh the possible bad) and so we dedicate our time and energy in the person and then…see what happens. Nola Darling (She's Gotta Have it) also appears to have her emotions "in check" (if you will). There has been a lot of writing surrounding this film (much if it about the "new" display of black women's sexual power). Although some argue her sexual desires ended in tragedy, there is something intriguing about having (or appearing to have) complete control over your emotions. Not drifting off into fantasy land.
Introducing Nola Darling (and the dudes I run into somehow made it into the movie)
So, I started thinking, "How are these movies informing our philosophies on relationships?" Mine in particular. Hmmm… Angela and I…
Angela and I are both artists. We do community work as a release from the "corporate world." (I guess mine would be a scholastic universe). We are "down to earth" and pretty easy to please. I don't think Angela and Marcus ever went on a date. They cooked and cleaned the kitchen together. Marcus volunteered with her at the community center. They were home spending time together etc. etc.
But what was the turning point? Ahhh you remember! When Jacqueline called after Angela stayed the night and Marcus and Angela had been spending a substantial amount of time together and he said to Jacqueline "Oh that's just Angela. She came by to drop off something." OOHHH Snap! Did your heart not sink for her?!
She thought she was in there like swimwear until she was "checked." Didn't even see it comin'! I, like Angela, can get caught up in the moment(s) because, hey, aren't all artists whimsical fantasy-seeking creatures?! (joking…kind of). I'm sure after over-hearing that conversation, Angela wished to have channeled her inner-Jacqueline and set the proper boundaries way before it got to that point. But on the other hand you want to be free and organic and happy and fun and…well whimsical. Well, we know the movie ends with Marcus realizing that he really loves the art-sy emotional and loving Angela and, we assume, they live happily ever after. But, of course, we live in reality. And boundary-less interactions can lead to weird awkward grey-filled areas of foggy uncertainty. Yes…all of that. So how do we successfully blend the Jacqulines/Nolas and Angela's together? Do we want to blend them? Should we choose one over the other? Women, who do you identify with? Would you blend? Men…what are your thoughts?
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