By Shaniece Nicole (@ShanieceNicoles)
Hallmark’s Mahogany brand pursuit of carving out space for black women continues with their next film, Girlfriendship.
When Samara’s (Tia Mowry-Housley) birthday plans are redirected due to a booking mix-up, she and her friends enter a week-long journey on Edisto Island, in South Carolina, where they recapture their relationships with purpose, romance, and passion. Lyndie Greenwood (“Sleep Hollow”), Krystal Joy Brown (“Powerbook III: Raising Kanan”), and Brand James (“For Better or Worse”) round out the cast.
The subtle imagery displayed in Hallmark’s most recent films divorces black women from what is considered “familiar” to them and for them on television. Choosing not to uncover the underlying ideologies embedded in stories and the larger culture that creates the narrative kindles inaccurate interpretations of a particular group, gender, or race.
These interpretations are indestructible to those who are unwilling to accept the nuances of how black women are represented in film. Mahogany’s “get in your face” approach is the intrusiveness that is much needed.
Mahogany’s To Her, With Love, Unforgettably Good Things and Girlfriendship each follows a central theme: Black women are admirable, complex, and ascending. Rooting out one-sided narratives regarding black women is appropriate any day, all day.
Girlfriendship premieres Oct. 1 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the Hallmark Channel.
