“Nappily Ever After” is a recently released 2018 American romantic comedy Netflix movie directed by Haifaa al-Mansour and stars famous actors, such as Sanaa Lathan, Ernie Hudson, Lyriq Bent, Lynn Whitfield, Ricky Whittle, and Camille Guaty. It’s important to note that this movie has a lot to do with African-American identity and this movie explores the experiences and the relationship African-American women have with their hair. This is shown through the main character and protagonist in the film whom is an African-American woman.

“Nappily Ever After” is about an African-American woman named Violet who seems to have the perfect life and everything together – a handsome long-term boyfriend, a very successful job as an advertising executive, is beautiful and has the looks she’s desired, etc. But things are not as they seem and her mother has always tried to make her attain and maintain a “perfect image” like she does now. Violet gets her hair wet when a neighbor accidentally sprays it and she’s forced to go to the salon but the barber makes a mistake and she ends up completely shaving her head. This new change and accident reveals how Violet didn’t actually have her life in order with the rest of the movie going heavily on how she deals with her past and issues she hasn’t addressed. 

¨Nappily Ever After¨ has a relatively high reception, ratings and reviews – the Common Sense Media rates it a ⅘, Rotten Tomatoes rate is 67 percent while IMDb gave it a 6.4 out of 10. I personally rate it a five out of five because of the movie structure, how the story is depicted, the movie themes and the satisfying ending. Also, the movie was directed by Haifaa Al Mansour, a very famous and controversial director in Saudi Arabia and the first ever female Saudi filmmaker.

Al Mansour is one of my favorite directors and she’s been involved in the making of numerous films such as Woman Without Shadows (2005), Wadjda (2012) and Mary Shelley (2017). In addition, this movie deserves a high rating because of the themes it explores – such as racism, perfection, self-love and family. People should watch this movie because it challenges the status quo and examines serious topics that aren’t usually addressed in the public eye.