ME TIME is a feminist comedy that follows a black woman named Deborah, who is  wound up after a hectic work day and is thinking about how to decompress. One part of her inner psyche, Sexy Deb, appears and tries to bully her into going out to a bar for a hook-up. Soulful Deb comes in, lights some incense, and suggests Deb try some self care stroking. But then Scaredy Deb shows up and whines that she just wants Deb to eat cereal and watch Gilmore Girls. After some debate, all the aspects of Deborah’s inner psyche finally rally together to get-it-on solo. Things seem to be going well until Scaredy Deb questions aloud if they've ever truly had an orgasm, which undermines every aspect of the Debs and threatens to derail their whole plan. Working through past trauma, and fondly rehashing their more promiscuous years, the Debs work together to break through their personal limitations around self-care and sex.

Director’s Statement: Me Time comes from a genuine, tender place in my life experience that's simultaneously cringeworthy and empowering. Authentic portrayals of women’s sexuality is rarely seen on screen, especially for women of color. Dialog between the Deborahs represents how dynamic women’s inner lives can be, and explores the many questions and conflicts going on in our heads. We are funny, soulful, sexy, and vulnerable all at once. We’re our own biggest accusers, enablers, and champions all at once.

I have been passionate about women’s issues, health, and sexuality from the moment my mom gave me the “birds and the bees” talk by drawing anatomically correct images of circumcised and uncircumcised penises at a bus stop when I was 11 years old. Though my mom is very sex positive, she never drew a picture of a vagina for me (well, the vulva and labia, to be more precise). Once, in the doctor’s office in my twenties, I eyed a poster that outlined how nerves in male genitalia are organized and how men experienced pleasure. My doctor was shocked at herself when I pointed out that she didn’t have a poster about nerves and pleasure for female genitalia anywhere in the room. These two examples show the lack of priority our society puts on women’s pleasure, which I think enables many women to disregard their own sexual growth and exploration.

I’m bad at it too though! So much so that a few years ago, I made a New Year’s resolution to masturbate every day because I realized I was only doing it four or five times a year, and felt like I was missing out on a huge part of my identity. The goal was to develop a more intimate relationship with my body and my sexuality- to prioritize it in my daily life since no one else was going to do it for me. That experiment moved me much further in my own sexual journey, but of course there’s much more to discover.

Me Time represents this lifelong journey, and offers other women the opportunity to tap into their own sexual challenges and opportunities. The film comes from a feminist perspective, with the tone ranging from earnest and innocent, to raunchy and ridiculous, to thoughtful and deep. Overall, I want viewers to loosen up and laugh, to feel empowered by Deborah’s story, and be encouraged to hold their chin high and continue on in their own explorations of self in all areas of their lives.