‘Nappily Ever After’ Trailer: Acclaimed Director Haifaa al-Mansour Returns With A Netflix Film With Sanaa Lathan

Filmmaker Haifaa al-Mansour has been the subject of controversy for most of her filmmaking career. After making a series of documentaries and short films, the director burst onto the scene with her film “Wadjda” in 2012. That film is historic as it is the first feature-length film to be shot entirely in Saudi Arabia and the first feature film to be made by a female Saudi filmmaker. And since then, al-Mansour hasn’t stopped, despite getting intense criticism from many in her home country.

Last year, she premiered her first English-language film, “Mary Shelley,” at the Toronto International Film Festival. And this year, her next film, titled “Nappily Ever After,” hits Netflix, and is yet another film by the director to focus on issues faced by women.

As seen in the trailer for ‘Nappily,’ the film follows a successful woman named Violet, played by Sanaa Lathan, who attributes a large amount of her perceived beauty to her hair. And after an intense breakup, Violet decides the best way to start over and figure her life out is to get rid of the thing that defined her — the hair. From there, you can probably figure out what happens next.

“Nappily Ever After” is al-Mansour’s first film to premiere on Netflix, as the streaming service snatches up quality filmmaker after quality filmmaker. The film is scheduled to hit the service on September 21.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Violet Jones (Sanaa Lathan) has a seemingly perfect life — a high-powered job, an eligible doctor boyfriend and a meticulously maintained, flawless coiffure. But after a life-changing event doesn’t go according to her plan, and a hair-raising incident at the hairdresser, her life begins to unravel. Eventually, Violet realizes that she was living the life she thought she was supposed to live, not the one she really wanted. Nappily Ever After stars Sanaa Lathan, who also serves as a producer alongside Tracey Bing, Jared LeBoff and Marc Platt. Directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour, and written by Adam Brooks and Cee Marcellus, the film also stars Ricky Whittle, Lyriq Bent, Ernie Hudson and Lynn Whitfield.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xh9XFxo2Hg&feature=youtu.be