The Postwoman Movie

The Postwoman

One mother's decision impacts the entire family.

Margaret Kemp in Children of God (2010)

LOGLINE

A single mother’s life is turned upside down when she is forced to confront her children and dysfunctional family about her secret life with another lover.

SYNOPSIS

In this charming and heartfelt romantic drama, Margaret Kemp (Children of God 2010) stars as ALYSSA THOMPSON, a newly divorced mother of two, who stumbles toward love after suffering from a mid-life crisis. Alyssa feels her world has come to an end unable to save or move out of her cramped and crime-ridden apartment with her two daughters, 7 and 12, and unsupportive ex-husband whose insecurities increase her fear of “coming out” to her children.

While sorting mail methodically one morning, Alyssa, whose finishing her probation as a letter carrier, learns from her supervisor, a micro-manager disturbed by the $8 billion in cuts to the post office, that she’s assigned a new route in Lake Merritt, a bustling part of Oakland. There, she spots Nia, a sexy butch in a fedora, at an independent women’s bookstore, which is threatened to close amidst the e-book/Kindle revolution. Alyssa takes her first step toward freedom, purchasing a book, “Families Like Mine: Children of Gay Parents Tell It Like It Is,” and surrenders to Nia, a recovering player with insatiable charm and charisma whose been working at the bookstore since being manumitted from a Group Home at eighteen.

We witness the psychological impact of Alyssa’s decision when her ex-husband discovers her sexuality and spirals into darkness, retreating into alcohol and old school bars; when her mother berates her, assuring her that “coming out” won’t benefit her kids; and when her eldest daughter, 12, confronts her about not only losing her first boyfriend, but also suffering from bullying in school once her peers discover her mother is gay. Alyssa’s challenges increase not only when her dysfunctional family confronts her lover, but also upon discovering more setbacks at the post office where she works. Things get worse when Nia, her lover, loses faith in her. Alyssa overcomes her anxiety and depression by entering therapy, developing agency to follow her calling, and finally admitting to her daughters her true sexuality, which inspires mutual compassion and respect. Her journey is complex and rife with pain, but after she becomes fully self-actualized, she is encouraged to follow her destiny and wildest dream.

SOCIAL JUSTICE THEME

Our film deals with many themes; namely, the plight of independent bookstores, identity, motherhood, sexuality, and the overwhelming power of faith and love. While our film explores the social, political, and economic realities faced by a Bay Area mother of color (that is, a Black woman who suffers from triple oppression), it also explores the journey that some mothers take to build and shape their own families. The American Psychological Association claims three myths persist of LGBT parents: they’re mentally ill; they’re less maternal than heterosexual parents; and they have less time to develop healthy relationships with their kids due to their involvement in an LGBT relationship. Nothing could be less true. "The Postwoman" illustrates how a Bay Area mother of color risks losing the support of her traditional family to pursue an “alternative" model of family – despite what everyone around her thinks.

While her daughter suffers the sting of divorce and homophobia in her middle school, Alyssa, who endures homophobic slurs from her ex-husband and family, reveals, like several studies funded by the National Institute of Health, that LGBT parents do raise healthy children and their children develop fine socially as well. In our feature film, our courageous heroine realizes her silence won’t protect her – only unwavering faith and unconditional love.