The Door, by Ava DuVernay, the fifth Miu Miu Women’s Tale, is a
celebration of the transformative power of feminine bonds, and a
symbolic story of life change.
The symbolic centre of The Door is the front entrance of the
protagonist’s home. As she opens it to greet a friend in the powerfully
framed opening scenes, she is shrouded in an oblique sadness. "In the
film, characters arrive at the door of a friend in need, bringing
something of themselves,” explains director DuVernay. "Eventually, we
witness our heroine ready to walk through the door on her own. The door
in the film represents a pathway to who we are.”
Clothing is also a symbol of renewal, each change of costume charting
our heroine’s emergence from a chrysalis of sadness. In the final
scenes, she takes off her ring, pulls on long, black leather gloves, and
walks, transformed by the emotive power of the clothing, through the
door.
Ava DuVernay was the first African-American woman to win the Best
Director Prize at Sundance Film Festival, for her second feature, Middle
of Nowhere, in 2012. The Door stars Gabrielle Union, Alfre Woodard,
Emayatzy Corinealdi, Adepero Oduye and singer-songwriter Goapele.
