Directed by Sam and Max Eggers, The Front Room is supposed to be a horror thriller, but unfortunately, the humor works better than the scare. What could have been a creepy watch turned out to be dull. Brandy Norwood and Kathryn Hunter tried to make sense of the mess, but performances alone can only do so much. Belinda, a professor in anthropology, decided to quit her job after the severe disrespect she was subjected to, primarily because of her race. She was pregnant and wanted to focus her attention on their unborn child. Belinda and Norman had lost their first child, and getting over the trauma was quite a challenge. They were hopeful about their future together, but Belinda often found herself sleepwalking, and her dreams usually turned into nightmares. Their peaceful existence was interrupted when Norman was informed that his estranged father had passed away. Belinda and Norman attended the funeral, and that was when they met Norman’s stepmother, Solange.
Spoiler Alert
How did Solange take over the household?
Belinda struggled to comprehend how the short, fragile-looking old lady could be a threat. Norman detested his stepmother because, as a child, she would starve him until he would sing “Jesus loves me,” and he encouraged Belinda to keep a distance from her. But at the funeral, when she met Solange for the first time, Belinda was convinced that she must have changed. Nothing about the old lady seemed alarming to her. She was pleasantly surprised when Solange announced she wanted Norman and Belinda to inherit all the wealth left by Norman’s father. But there was a catch: Lawrence’s dying wish was for Solange to live with Norman and his wife. Norman did not care about the money; he was not ready to coexist with Solange in the same space, but Belinda talked sense to him. They had a child on the way and only one source of income—they needed the money, and Belinda was ready to adjust. Even though Norman was dead against it, he did not have much choice.
The first few days with Solange were smooth sailing. Belinda knew that her mother-in-law was extremely religious, and to make her feel welcome, she joined her in saying grace before dinner. Belinda was not a Christian, and making such adjustments was not easy for her. But she tried her best to make Solange feel at home. For her ease of access, she shifted the nursery upstairs and offered Solange the front room. Without even realizing that she was being manipulated, Belinda decided to name their daughter Laurie as Solange had suggested. Solange’s mention of their late son, Wallace, made Belinda wonder if Solange truly possessed supernatural powers as she claimed. But Belinda missed out on the fact that her mother-in-law had her eyes and ears all around the house, and she had overheard the couple discuss Wallace.
Gradually, Belinda started to realize that Norman was indeed right. Solange was a racist woman who did not approve of her and Norman’s union. The United Daughters of the Confederacy certificate Belinda had found in her belongings further validated her suspicion. Solange disapproved of every meal Belinda made, and she tried to establish that Belinda was not a perfect mother. She believed God wanted her to stay with Belinda and Norman because the house needed a mother, and she intended to be the matriarch. Belinda and Solange’s relationship turned bitter when Belinda told Norman that Solange was incontinent. Solange had hoped it would be a secret between her and Belinda, perhaps because she had assumed Norman would wash his hands of his duty. But the minute she realized that the couple did not have the money to afford special care or even send her away to an institute, she decided to use Belinda’s decision against her. She intentionally stained her clothes, her bedsheet, and the walls in her room, knowing that at the end of the day, Belinda would have to clean them. A heavily pregnant Belinda barely had enough time to look after herself.
Did Solange possess supernatural powers?
Some instances suggested Solange had supernatural powers, or at least her prayers miraculously worked. From her sensing Belinda’s labor pain to her prayer group healing Belinda’s pregnancy wound, the film hints at a supernatural element, but it is not wholly explored. The fish symbol, or “ichthys,” was used by Christians to identify themselves and it plays a significant role in the film. The fish symbol is also said to have been appropriated by Christians since it had been used by pagans before the rise of Christianity. Nonetheless, the fish was later used by Christians to identify fellow believers, and it was at times used as a code. Since Belinda was not a believer, Solange, with her inexplicable power, intended on ensuring that her daughter followed the Christian faith. As a newborn, Laurie cried every time the fish pendant was taken away, hinting at Solange’s influence on her.
Throughout The Front Room, the imagery of Solange as Mother Mary is repeated again and again. This presumably stems from Belinda’s fear of not being a perfect mother and her assuming that Solange with her powers would take her child and her husband away from her. Her fear also stems from generational oppression of the Black community—everything they loved and admired was mercilessly taken away from them by white supremacists. For Belinda, history was repeating itself, at a microcosmic level inside her house. Since Belinda refused to convert, Solange wanted her to perish.
From taking care of her household to constantly responding to Solange’s calls, Belinda was on the verge of losing her mind. And where was Norman? Well, he was aiming for a promotion and did not care what his pregnant wife was going through (Norman’s lack of empathy and presence should have been enough reason for Belinda to walk out on him, but unfortunately that never happened). By providing them with financial support, Solange changed Norman’s opinion of her. She had paid for the mortgage; every piece of furniture in the house was once owned by her, and she had also started to sit at the head of the table at dinners. When Belinda challenged Solange, she intentionally injured herself and convinced Norman that it was his wife who had attacked her.
What was Belinda’s biggest fear?
Belinda was afraid that Solange would take her family away from her. She could sense that she was losing control, and that was quite unsettling for Belinda. Her mother-in-law’s control over her newborn and Norman’s affection for Solange bothered her. She could understand that Solange had villainized her, and she feared that one day Norman would trust his stepmother over her. It seemed more and more likely that she would lose the life she had built, and Belinda was not ready to let Solange succeed. In one of her many nightmares, Belinda imagined Norman in his mother’s arms, and he was latched to her breasts. This hinted at Belinda’s fear of Norman submitting himself to his mother. Here Solange is once again imagined as the mother figure who came into the house to nourish her children. In this situation, Belinda was the unwanted outsider.
During The Front Room’s ending, Norman discovered teeth marks on their newborn’s body, and he assumed it was Belinda who had harmed their child. Belinda was horrified when he accused her of it, and she asked him to look closely at the wound. The one who had hurt the baby had missing teeth, and they suspected Solange. When Norman confronted his stepmother, she blackmailed him, reminding him of all the things she had done for him and his family. Norman gulped down his ego and left the room. Solange spent the night screaming, “Why can’t I die?” not realizing that her wish would soon come true.
How did Solange die?
Belinda had a smile on her face when she saw Solange’s lifeless body on her bed. The threat was gone, and her baby had finally latched. It was a good day. With a sense of joy and triumph, she watched Solange’s body burn to ashes. The nightmare was finally over, and she would no longer have to live in fear in her own house. She wanted to destroy everything that reminded her of Solange, but she could not. Time had passed by, and Belinda was pregnant with twins. They had shifted to a new house, and Belinda was clearly excited to begin her new journey. She looked forward to her job interview at a university, and she could sense that everything would work out for the best. Norman felt a little guilty because they bought the house with Solange’s money, but Belinda did not feel the same way. She believed they deserved every penny and that Solange had gotten what she deserved. At the job interview, when she was asked about her time handling both her newborn and her mother-in-law, the cause of Solange’s death was disclosed.
The Front Room’s ending revealed that Solange did not die in her sleep, but was killed by Belinda. Tired of the chaos she had brought into her life, Belinda had decided to take matters into her own hands. She suffocated Solange with a pillow, resulting in her death. That one action brought happiness to Belinda’s life, and clearly, she did not regret it for a second. It was almost as if she had finally avenged her ancestors—she broke the shackles and killed the one who dared to mess with her existence. Will Solange return to haunt Belinda? Well, that is an answer I do not have. If you want to think spooky, you might as well conclude that Solange and Lawrence will return to haunt Belinda and Norman in the form of their twins. But the optimist in me would like to believe that Belinda finally got to live the life she always knew she deserved. Living with Solange taught her to fight for herself. Well, murder was, of course, an extreme step and a heinous crime, but you get the drift.
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