Review of Tyler Perry's Divorce In The Black
Though it tries to examine the complexity of marriage, divorce, and faith, Tyler Perry's Divorce In The Black is a lukewarm drama that finally falls short in providing a gripping and emotionally relevant narrative. It is nearly impossible to follow the weighty emotional journey of the film since it seems to be put together from many contradicting scripts.
Ava and Dallas: Married on the Rocks
Playing Ava and Dallas, a couple whose relationship is based on weak foundations, Meagan Good and Cory Hardrict depict Dallas is shown as a cartoonistically terrible evil man devoid of any regret or atonement for his deeds. Dallas has never been anything except horrible, Ava's parents and best friend Rona (Taylor Polidore constantly remind her). Given the movie's title—Ava and Dallas get a divorce—it's not surprising, but this feels less like an inciting event than the last nail in the metaphorical coffin.
Divorce In The Black: An Interpretive Study of Black and White Morality
In Divorce In The Black, a film devoid of commentary on the obvious link it draws between socioeconomic level and violence, morality is black and white. Dallas's family is simply villains; they lack the riches or influence of Ava's family and instead of appreciating this and seeing his family with complexity, We catch a glimpse of the times Ava is trying to hang onto with Dallas in a quick flashback. Though we never get to see this first-hand, like most of Divorce In The Black we are told that happiness happened.
Ava's Conflicting Faith
Since Ava's father is a preacher and she feels driven to remain in her marriage for the sake of her faith, Christianity permeates the movie. Ava's crisis of faith blossoms into a lovely moment between her and her mother (Debbi Morgan). This reflects the very favorable picture of a support system that does right by Ava no matter what.
Dallas's Jarring Presentance
The story revolves mostly on images and deeds of support. But when Dallas walks into the frame, it's as if the performers have been doused in a bucket of ice water. His presence alters the tone such dramatically that it is blatantly off-putting. Different scenes should employ different thematic language, but the juxtaposition between Dallas's extreme violence and Ava's rediscovery of her sexuality is startling. Apart from the narrative aspects, this technically competent film makes advantage of Georgia's rich landscape to mitigate the negative impact of the unfortunate pacing.
The best part is seeing Ava's character grow.
Seeing Ava's will to stick with a man who offers her nothing for the first thirty or so minutes somewhat depresses me. Many survivors naturally go through this. Her turning over a fresh leaf and beginning to come into her own, though, excites me. Since she bears the whole emotional weight of the story on her shoulders and the scenes she isn't central to are rare, Good has the toughest job in the movie. Good's performing ability is lost in the script and character. Ava has few qualities and experiences outside of her relationships, but in the last act she takes her life under her own control—a refreshing change.
Black Divorce: An Opportunity Lost
Though they are too far apart and loosely linked, there are flashes of brightness and strong story beats. Though its pacing throws the story so far off course that it fails to keep our attention, Divorce In The Black had the potential to be divergent and fun at least. Perry's new film will satisfy anyone seeking a drama that could pass for comedy.
