Nepotism Versus The Black Librarian Experience in Underground Indie Classic ‘Party Girl’

 

Wanda (cfrancis blackchild) and Howard (L. B. Williams) are on opposing sides to Mary’s emergence into the library sphere. DP: Michael Slovis.

Daisy von Schlerer Meyer’s cult classic Party Girl, a Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize nominee, stars the award-winning Parker Posey as Mary, a social junky who lives for parties and trouble. When her gracious godmother Judy bails Mary out of jail and offers her a job as a library clerk on the spot, the little details regarding hard work and perseverance comes gushing out. Worthwhile traits for any employment opportunities are not important with nepotism involved libraries included. 

Mary (Parker Posey) feels left out as Wanda and Mary (Sasha von Scherler, the film director’s real-life mother) discuss library politics. DP: Michael Slovis.

“I assume you’re familiar with the Dewey Decimal System,” are the first lines Wanda utters— cheeky and perhaps put out over witnessing job fraud. The Black library clerk wears a light blue blouse beneath a buttoned up dark blue cardigan, old-fashioned eyeglasses dangling across her chest, her hair smoothed into a gorgeous Afro puff. She gazes at her new coworker with an understandable sass. After all, Wanda probably had to jump through tireless hoops of sending resumes and snagging interviews in order to get the low tier position. Despite being educated, Wanda’s bottom place at the highly competitive library field relates to the experiences still happening today— taking what little can be offered just to say, “I work at the library.” 

Head librarian Judy already reveals that two previous clerks have quit and that the pay is next to nothing. Mary knows how to throw parties, score drugs, steal designer clothes, and annoy falafel food truck owners, not the exact stuff library work is made of. It’s meant to be funny fiction, the idea that a stylish nocturnal girl can change into a drabby wardrobe and become a bespectacled librarian sensation overnight.

 

Wanda brings out a new stack of Albert Camus’s The Myth of Sisyphus for Mary to catalogue. DP: Michael Slovis. 

Mary’s expression says “no way, this is beneath me.” DP: Michael Slovis.

Within the week, Mary, who again inhabits no unique skills or education necessary for the job, complains about Wanda’s multitasking— she’s doing the Scientific American overhaul, attending the upcoming acquisitions conference, and coding. Mary’s not questioning Judy’s leadership and competence, she’s naming Wanda for a reason. In Mary’s mind, she and Wanda are on equal standing, meaning that Wanda’s higher education at a Missouri college must be pointless. Mary sees a library clerk, the same position that she’s in and feels entitled to taking on Wanda’s duties. Also, she mentions being family repeatedly, hoping that’ll guilt trip Judy even more. Thankfully, Judy shuts Mary’s complaints down, informing her goddaughter that she’s not ready. Let’s take it to the truth by admitting that a curiosity does not extend to the ability to perform essential library functions. Mary would stay out drinking and snorting then stumble through morning introductions at conferences with a brutal hangover where everyone would sound like Charlie Brown mumbles. Put together Wanda would not be a laughingstock staining Judy’s reputation, having staunchly proved through schooling that the library is not a last minute place to mask her identity. 

 

Howard’s interactions with Mary are a stark difference from hers to Wanda. DP: Michael Slovis.

Howard tells Mary to take a break after she loudly cusses out library patrons. DP: Michael Slovis.

Meanwhile, Howard, the other Black librarian who graduated from Columbia University and champions academia, dotes on Mary. Besides Judy, Howard gives Mary chances to prove herself, often smiles and engages in her presence. Maybe ruled by an inner obligation to befriend his boss’s final family member, Howard possesses the welcoming face so as not to potentially lose his position, knowing that favoritism guarantees a quicker climb up the ladder. He makes the foolish decision to allow Mary to lock up the library when her situationship enters near closing hours. His subtle gaze has a conspirator edge, a keen awareness that something would be bound to happen between Mary and the man. By shutting the door behind him, he is allowing it, putting the library at risk due to having a strange, unearned faith in her. 

 

Mary acts cordial with Howard. DP: Michael Slovis.

Howard doesn’t want Wanda to take Mary’s place at the front desk. DP: Michael Slovis.

However, the writing preys into Black men’s perceived historic rage towards Black women, shown in the scene where Wanda gloats to Mary about taking over front desk duties and Howard defensively asks “why?” He emphasizes a simple one-worded question with vehemence in tone and facial expression, leaving no room to believe it’s spoken in cheeky staff humor, no light-hearted teasing. This only scene Howard and Wanda addressing each other exercises the notion that in the white imagination, Black men do not respect Black women, let alone believe in the capabilities of the most educated group of people in America. Not a new concept, but an aggravating one nonetheless as they’re the only Black people working at this particular library, have both earned their MLIS degrees, and hold no solidarity.

Wanda, forever dressed in a blue shade the color of trust, asks Mary why she’s there. She likely already knows about the naughty liaison and the damaged library materials. DP: Michael Slovis. 

After being rightfully fired for having sex in the library and leaving the windows open overnight, causing rain to destroy irreplaceable materials, Mary’s aggressive behavior reaches an alarming degree when she assaults Wanda and nastily calls her the B word. The tension between them had been surmounting on precarious territory with Mary relaying her concerns built by jealousy to Judy. Yet, this ugly moment further depicts Mary in an unfavorable light, putting her hands on Wanda and shoving her up against the wall, cussing her out at the workplace. Mary’s continued unprofessionalism should have been immediate grounds for permanent dismissal, but no witnesses and Wanda somehow harbors no hard feelings. Again, this Mary’s unfunny self-centered antics instead raise an abrasive mirror to an earlier scene where club promoter Rene pushes dancer Venus hard against a nightclub wall. Mary and Rene take their frustrations out on Black women, physically and emotionally, making it difficult to stomach sitting through the detestable treatment Wanda and Venus endure. 

The true inclusivity of womanism exists because the jarring feminism in films like Party Girl suggests that Black women are part of the joke, not in on it. Still, Judy’s passionate monologue highlighting Dewey’s ingrained notions on the women’s role in the library may be the strongest aspect to the film. 

“The job didn’t require any intelligence. It was a woman’s job. That means it’s underpaid, undervalued. This country has more illiteracy than some of the most underdeveloped nations. Even Americans who can read—don’t. They watch movies. They watch television. They watch movies on the television.”

At times, Judy realizes that Mary didn’t deserve a place at the library, that she was accurately portraying Dewey’s misogynistic views of women— completely useless idiots who should sit at a desk and tell people where to find information, no other skillsets beyond giving simple directions. While Judy’s terrific for spelling out Dewey’s sexism, she doesn’t relay the racist messages embedded in his problematic system. 

Furthermore, Wanda seemingly forgiving Mary for harming her and academic Howard not caring that Mary destroyed sacred library property (classic poets and literary greats at that) adds on to them being depicted as docile Black people who prefer coddling Mary over forming a genuine connection with each other. 

Wanda looks frightened by Mary’s erratic behavior. DP: Michael Slovis.

Wanda was played by cfrancis blackchild, a director, intimacy choreographer, applied theatre specialist, teacher, playwright, and actor who like her character attended the University of Missouri. Along with her MFA in playwriting from the University of Texas-Austin, cfrancis holds an MA in English with a concentration in African Diaspora Studies, and a PhD in theatre from the University of Missouri. She is currently a visiting teaching professor of theater at William and Mary College. Party Girl was her sole IMDb film credit. 

Howard was played by late phenomenal actor L. B. Wright, a noted thespian and housing equality activist who put on a memorable turn as Moses Wright in Kevin Wilson Jr.’s Oscar nominated short film My Nephew Emmett. Although Wright passed away nine years ago, IMDb has not updated the information on his page.

Wanda avidly suggesting her alma mater while both she and Mary are wearing the same clothes from that terrible encounter means that Wanda accepts Mary’s behavior sans apology. Howard also sits beside Mary offering his own ideas for her hope to attend library school. DP: Michael Slovis.

Party Girl may have Black librarian representation, but the inauthentic characters are abused punching bags pedestaling Mary on her quest to eventually taking over the establishment. It hasn’t aged well in terms of how it plays into the stereotypes of complacent blackness and the need for white validation. Wanda’s willingness to help a violent, selfish woman threatening her career and Howard’s undeniable loyalty to someone who doesn’t respect library values isn’t believable. Why work twice as hard to be at the library only to kindly grant educational input to your privileged abuser?