Maggs W

I believe people are missing the point, when they say the two female characters did not look white. That’s because we, the viewers, are meant to see them as ‘black’, knowing that they are successfully navigating their way, passing as whites. Irene was most definitely ‘passing’, visualising herself as a white middle class woman going into white middle class spaces, making sure she’s on best behaviour. We see this again as she walks towards home, her body upright and erect while she greets Lawrence. It seems she has an intense control over herself, high standards to be upheld, never allowing anything to subside or fall into place. When she’s in her home, we see her play the imaginary white middle class woman even more so, as she issues instructions to her domestic lady, Zu. Zu, who has a darker skin tone, plays the domestic role perfectly by always calling Irene ‘Ma’am’ but when Irene returns home from shopping and sees her chilling with Claire, she is not happy. It has been mentioned how the ‘attraction between the two women were left unexplored’ but I think this is deliberate. Irene is attracted to Claire, but she perceives it as an unforbidden desire that can only be expressed in her thoughts. Claire has a dissimilar attraction to Irene but instead, is fascinated and a touch envious of Irene’s ‘black’ lifestyle. And we know as the film progresses, that she is disingenuous towards Irene when she admits in not being as good a person. An example, when she jokes of wanting to move to Harlem and being flirtatious with Irene’s husband leaving you to think that she would even snatch him away, given the chance. And the fact she behaves like a tourist, snooping in and out of activities in Harlem and that she’s able to exploit the covert desires of the husbands who are riddled with inferiority complexes. I totally agree with the poster who say, ‘Harlem is a protective society’. I identify with this. Growing up in North London in a predominantly ethnic environment, I would say the area was ‘protective’ because of our large numbers and the strong activism. It was a stronghold. I thought the director, Rebecca Hall, did an excellent job overall as I found the film moving, powerful which will leave me, thinking for weeks! I wouldn’t be surprised if this ends up either (or both) being nominated for BAFTA or an Oscar.