MIU MIU Women's Tales Short Film @ The Door

The Door, a new short film by Ava DuVernay, is a celebration of the transformative power of feminine bonds, and a symbolic story of life change. It is the fifth in Miu Miu’s series of short films by distinctive international female directors, following The Powder Room, by Zoe Cassavetes; Muta, by Lucrecia Martel; The Woman Dress, by Giada Colagrande and It’s Getting Late, by Massy Tadjedin. This highly creative film platform places a female point of view at the heart of the cinematic journey, using fashion to explore political ideas as well as creative storytelling.

«Every time a woman makes a film it is a political act, in my view, whether we mean it to be or not» states DuVernay. «Films by women - whether comedy or drama, documentary or narrative - illustrate the human experience through a woman’s voice, through a woman’s eyes, through a woman’s creativity. Experiences which are often marginalized, fabricated or simply ignored. I think what Miu Miu is doing with this film series is wonderfully radical.»

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 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. “I felt the Miu Miu collection was infused with both a strength and vulnerability that was very beautiful. I let that idea guide me through the writing and production process,” the director says.

Ava Marie DuVernay’s films delve into the complex interior lives of women. She 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.