Imitation of Life Film Review!

  

 

In the film entitled “Imitation of Life” we see a riveting plot structure take place and many issues exposed in the film that many people go through.  In this film, we first see. 

Lora Meredith who is searching for her child on the beach. She comes across Steve Archer who helps her find her baby girl Susie. Susie is then seen with a new friend she found on the beach named Sarah Jane and her mother Annie Johnson. Susie reunites with her mother and then Annie talks with Lora. They are both single mothers raising their daughters with not much background about the children's father. Lora and Susie are black while Sarah Jane and Annie are black. This distinct difference in race creates for a good plot because it shares struggles within the black community that Lora and Susie don’t have to go through.  

Lora ends up inviting them to live with them in return for them being so helpful. While they begin to live together, we see Lora on a quest to become a successful actress.  Allen Loomis, an agent, tries to persuade her to go along with whatever he says in order to help her with her career. Lora doesn’t agree to the many demining terms that he instructs her to do. So, she tries to find a way without him and still become successful on her own. Lora soon gets discovered by David Edwards, a director, and he hires her for a show. The show turns out to be a huge success. As her career begins to become more and more consuming of a lifestyle certain people start to fall to the waste side.  Her relationship with her daughter becomes very neglectful, as she becomes very busy with acting career and her relationship with her new love, Steve, ends as well. Fast forward, many years pass by, and Lora is now a well-known actress. Their life is upgraded as we see them in a new huge house in New York City. David tries to propose to Lora, but she says no and soon encounters Steve who has reappeared in her life after one of her plays. Annie is still by Lora's side all the time and cares for the house. 

Meanwhile, Sarah Jane and Annie are now grown up and experiencing their own issues. Since Sarah Jane is a fair skin black girl, she has been fighting this whole film about her true identity by trying to pass as white.  Sarah Jane begins sneaking out more and going places she shouldn't. She also has a new man in her life who is White and doesn't know that she is black. When the boyfriend confronts her about it, upon learning the shocking news, she denies the claims that she is black and that her mom is a black woman. He begins to get really angry and beats her. This event affects Sarah Jane alot and she chooses to move away in California. She leaves a note which catches Lora's attention, and she asks Steve to find a detective to find Sarah Jane. During this time Laura has just gotten back from an acting gig in Italy. The Suisse and Lora relationship still stays pretty healthy for now. Sussie is really happy to have her mother back home from work and to finally get some quality time with her. 

  Meanwhile, can’t take it anymore and decides to fly out to see Sarah Jane in California. Annie finds out that Sarah Jane is now a dancer going under a new name “Annie”. Annie apologizes to Sarah Jane for loving her too hard and promises her that after today that she won’t see her anymore. Annie also says to her if she ever needs help, that she will reach out to her.  Annie gives Sarah Jane a hug one last time and after that Sarah Janes’ roommate comes in after their embrace. Annie soon leaves and goes back home to Ms. Laura's house. Later, we see Annie's health starts to decline and Susie is going through an issue that she comforts Annie about. Susie confesses that she has a crush on Steve, and she becomes upset as she finds out that Her mom is thinking about marrying him. Before dying, Annie tells Laura about this issue and Lora is shocked. Annie also points out that if she was around her daughter more and present in her life than this, she wouldn't be so surprised. Lora finally confronts Susie about it and within that argument Susie finally confesses that her mom is never there and that she desires more from her as a mother.  Finally, the film ends with Annie’s funeral service. This service was a very big event at a huge church, with a big choir and band to follow her as well. Out of the blue, Sarah Jane reappears and cries out her mother's name and sobs as she is being pulled away. She makes such a scene that Lora spots her and grabs her and they all move in the car. 

Analysis

  In the film, many issues seen through the characters and problems come about that are worth noting. Lora has many things that she is not seeing because is working. She loves Annie dearly but still treats her as an employee of her household. Also, Sarah Jane is used as an employee in one scene as well to serve while a well-known director comes by the house. These actions of using their race as automatic justification that they should be assisting her is very rude and insensitive.  I also find it interesting as the White woman is seen as just this proper, gentle woman who needs to be taken care of and sees this huge famous lifestyle. While Annis is given the maid role who looks after everyone and cooks and cleans all the time. I would have loved to see the roles reversed, but I do realize that this was the climate of what was happening at the time. 

Sarah Jane’s character was another very notable study. Throughout the movie her whole insecurity lied in her identity being a Black Woman in America. She saw herself as being light skinned as a way out of that insecurity and to make a better life for herself. This very aspect brings about the problem of being black in America during this time. Even though I don't agree with how Sarah Jane constantly denied her mother and identity I can kind of see why. Blacks during this time were getting the back doors, leftovers, lynched, assaulted, and seen as second-class citizens still. So, why settle for something less when you see you have an opportunity to have more. Her character shed a deeper light on the prejudice going on in society at that time.  

Lastly, the mother daughter dynamics show a theme of abandonment with both mother daughter relationships. Annie craves to be in Sarah Janes’ life more and Susie craves for her mother to be in her life. And the price of both Lora and Sarh Jane's own selfish ambitions get in the way of that.