Fevered Dreams

A reflection on the short film written and directed by L.M. Davis

Disclaimer: Before reading this, I suggest you watch Fevered Dreams, written and directed by L.M. Davis, because it will provide context to this piece. It is available to watch on YouTube throughout Black History Month: Fevered Dreams.

I initially watched this several months ago and walked away with one question: Are the characters really just doing it for the money? I asked author and director, L.M. Davis, about this and she explained her reasoning behind it — that as Black women, we are socialized to be in service to everyone because it’s the moral thing to do. She posited the idea that in an oppressive society, one that specifically oppresses, exploits, and subjugates Black women, should morality even be a topic?

Before we get ahead of ourselves, I am not making a case to justify exploitation, nor am I saying that morality doesn’t exist, because it does. What I am saying is that building revenue streams off a manufactured problem is very much a western white concept and flipping the script to have it benefit Black women, regardless of the morality, is a flex.

I had to sit with that for a moment, because I’ve grown up with morality being an incredibly strong, but often limiting barrier to meeting my needs. Even more than that, it’s…