Film Image
The Kitchen Blues
Charlene Gilbert
1994
BW
14 minutes
US

The Kitchen Blues

An intimate portrait of an everyday moment, focusing on a young girl getting her hair braided. It opens with a photograph of the filmmaker at age 5 and her voice describing her own childhood hair memories. Archival footage of African American women "doing" their hair is layered over the image of the young girl, drawing the connections between rituals of daily life and historical tradition. The film is a humorous, yet sometimes painful exploration of the issues raised around hair and beauty for African American women.
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Reviews
"Gilbert honors a ritual specific to both female and African American culture...gracefully exploring dominant notions of beauty and internalized racism." - Philadelphia City Paper
Screenings
• Women in the Directors ChairWomen in the Director's Chair International Film & Video Festival, Chicago, 1995
• Project Black Cinema
More Films by Subject and Genre
Race & Ethnicity Studies
The Body Is…
Women's Studies
Youth Collection
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