Subjects of Desire

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Subjects of Desire

2021

1h 43m

Documentary

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100%

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9 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

Exploring the cultural shift in North American beauty standards toward embracing Black female aesthetics and features while exposing the deliberate and often dangerous portrayals of Black women in the media.

Nick Allen

RogerEbert.com

An eye-opening and often powerful analysis of the history of beauty with regards to Black women.

Mar 22, 2021

Full Review

Jessica Kiang

Variety

A nimble, idea-packed doc that acts as an excellent primer on Blackness and the beauty ideal.

Mar 21, 2021

Full Review

Shane Slater

Awards Radar

Subjects of Desire won't win any awards for groundbreaking style, but its interview-heavy approach proves effective.

Rated: 3/4

Dec 30, 2021

Full Review

LaNeysha Campbell

But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Subjects of Desire exemplifies black women's joy, unity, and empowerment in a relatable and inspirational way.

Rated: 9/10

May 17, 2021

Full Review

Carla Hay

Culture Mix

The insightful documentary Subjects of Desire shows how Black women feel about the still-prevalent and damaging racism in how Black females are treated and perceived by beauty standards in American society.

Apr 30, 2021

Full Review

Carolyn Mauricette

View From The Dark

The award-winning Subjects of Desire is a brilliant exploration of Black women and the struggle we deal with to stand above the stereotypes and impossible standards.

Rated: 5/5

Apr 29, 2021

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dave d

Subjects of Desire explores the cultural shift in North American beauty standards among many other ways we look at Black females. The film shows how marginalized black females have been and goes into great detail to prove the point. It's a necessary and eye-opening and potentially life-altering documentary that takes an open mind. Cerebral and understanding at the same time, Jennifer Holness explores some of the tough subjects and does it brilliantly. The film tends to go off course when it turns focus to Rachel Dolezal. I found those parts to be less educational and more distracting. Overall, this is a film that should challenge some stereotypes and hopefully break them! Final Score: 8.6/10

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Jennifer Holness

Director

Jennifer Holness

Writer

Jennifer Holness

Producer

Sudz Sutherland

Producer

Ricardo Diaz

Cinematographer

Iris Ng

Cinematographer

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Synopsis

Exploring the cultural shift in North American beauty standards toward embracing Black female aesthetics and features while exposing the deliberate and often dangerous portrayals of Black women in the media.

Director: Jennifer Holness
Producer: Jennifer Holness, Sudz Sutherland
Screenwriter: Jennifer Holness, Jennifer Holness
Production Co: Hungry Eyes Film & Television
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 18, 2022
Runtime: 1h 43m