Embracing a New Identity

A subtle thing... I noticed that in the scene after mother and daughter meet for the first time, Hortense is wearing a white beauty mask when Cynthia calls her on the phone. I took this to mean that she is now identifying with her new partially "white" identity after meeting her biological mother. Then in the next phone call, Hortense asks Cynthia what she's been doing today. Cynthia says, "just outside sunning myself". I saw this as a symbol that she is now identifying with her new-found bi-racial daughter. I thought that both scenes were sweet.