The Available Wife Review
“Cheaters never win.”
That’s what Nicole’s father taught her while growing up, but as her hunger for power and money grew, those words were soon forgotten. The Available Wife is a film about an ambitious young woman, Nicole, who’s dreams of success lead her into a life of lies, greed, and cheating.
The film is self-narrated by Nicole as she tells her story of how her life was changed for the worst due to her hunger for success in the music industry. We learn early on in the film about her upbringing – a two-family home with a father striving to do what’s best for his family but wasn’t ambitious enough for Nicole’s mother, who frequently ran away for other affairs.
Her childhood experiences led her to live a fast life and get married to a music producer while they both pursued a career in the industry. With a failed singing career and a now obsolete producer, the couple’s relationship begins to struggle.
All seems well for Nicole after making up her mind to find success – she emerges as an unlikely CEO of one of the industry’s most successful record labels, but we soon begin to find out that there’s more to the story than Nicole is leading us to believe.
Through the movie, we get a deeper insight into how Nicole fraudulently acquired ownership of the label, thrusting her into immediate spotlight and riches. She gets lost in fame as the truth begins to unravel.
The quote “cheaters never win” has a dual meaning in the film. There are several accounts of cheating in relationships that shape Nicole’s life. As a child, she witnessed her mother cheating on her father, and her marriage began to deteriorate after catching her husband cheating.
Nicole also has an affair that led to her committing fraud to gain ownership of the record label, while the same act of cheating caused her ultimate demise.
The Available Wife includes a bit of mystery and foreshadowing throughout the film as we, the viewer, try to piece together her biggest secret along with those closest to her.
While she has a brief moment of “success” and riches, her attempt at covering up the past leads to her losing much more than just her family and career, but years from her life.
The film is an entertaining glimpse into the music industry’s inner workings and the dirt it sometimes takes to reach the top of the charts. The only question is if it’s all worth it in the end…
The Available Wife is screened as part of the 2020 American Black Film Festival (ABFF).
The 99-minute film is directed by Jamal Hill, Produced by Audrea Topps Harjo, Tressa “Azarel” Smallwood, Donte Lee, Jerry Vines, Jermaine Smith, Keith Payne, Derrick Parks, and Kevin Moody.
