Every Woman Needs a Sarah in Her Life

By: Lanisha D. Porter

    Lets get right into it...
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​*Cues "Sara Smile" by Hall and Oates*

    On Friday March 31, I kidnapped my best girlfriend to the theaters to see Tyler Perry’s Acrimony. To tell the short synopsis of this movie, it’s about a devoted wife who becomes enraged and looks to seek revenge after feeling betrayed by her lover. This thriller explores all the emotions—resentment, anger, jealousy, betrayal, regret, shame—most women feel after being scorned in the name of love. No different from real life, the main character, Melinda (Taraji P. Henson), sacrifices a lot for her  18-year marriage to work. So much so that she denies herself happiness and peace. And throughout the years, Melinda’s sisters, Brenda and June, wasted no time asserting their opinions and reminding her that her candidate for marriage was a terribly poor choice. They didn’t even come to her wedding. However, there was an unsung hero who captured my attention throughout the movie...her name was Sarah.

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    Sarah (played by Danielle Nicolet) was Melinda’s best friend, loyally at her side from college, to the altar on her wedding day, through her turbulent marriage and even after the divorce. Sarah easily won my admiration and here is why. Sarah was the non-judgmental, supportive, and loyal friend every woman should have. Sarah was a homegirl who kept it real but through considerate delivery. Through her portrayal on screen, her character development struck me as not being mute nor soft-spoken but always kind-spoken. She didn’t shy away from the fact that Melinda’s husband definitely had his issues, but instead of encouraging a negative thought pattern, she was always very optimistic offering Melinda an unpolluted perspective.

“If he’s not getting it from me, he’s getting it from somewhere.”
“No, Mel, No!”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. He learned his lesson before y’all got married.”
“If he’s cheating he better pray to God I don’t find out.”
“Yeah, for all our sakes. You a little crazy.” Sarah had joked. 
 
    Just like the aforesaid, Sarah was always de-escalating situations, and adding a comic relief that only a homegirl can. Making you feel strong enough to get through, or at least convincing you that you can make it to the end of the day without falling apart. Even on the day of Melinda's divorce where her sisters were celebrating her misery and shoving her feelings down her throat drink after drink, Sarah was there to her left frowning at the celebration of her sorrows. Sarah seemed to be hurting too because her best friend was hurt. She sat angled toward Melinda resembling a human shield hoping to protect what she could that was left of Mel's feelings. Melinda’s entire presentation at this point appeared cold, distant, stoic, and distraught. But Sarah being the sweet Sarah she is, in efforts to spark some life back into her, leaned over and said something along these lines: “You know I always thought he was being honest when he said he loved you. I really do believe he did Mel.”

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    Sarah is the woman I want standing behind me on my wedding day, the one I want to deposit my secrets to, and the woman I want to pray for me on the days I cant form the words to pray for my own self. Sarah reminded me of the power of womanhood and being a finer woman by the way you treat other women. She reminded me to sympathize with women when they are at their lowest, and if given the chance, create positive soundtracks for women to playback when they are looking for a song to sing in this life.

    I'm sure Sarah is the type of friend you can bring your life's lemons to and like a brilliant alchemist she will help you make "something resembling lemonade", instead of treating it like tea for the entire Shade Room. Sarah is the woman I hope to be. She is the woman I have always looked for in the sisterfriends I've recruited as my own. And most importantly, Sarah is the kind of woman I will someday raise my own daughters to be. Though this movie focuses on what a woman can be like at her worst, simultaneously, far off in the background, it too was showing what a woman looks like at her best.