from django.conf import settings
from django.core.mail import send_mail

def send_email(subject, message, recipient_list, fail_silently=False, html_message=None):
    """
    Send an email using the configured email backend.
    """
    return send_mail(
        subject=subject,
        message=message,
        from_email=settings.DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL,
        recipient_list=recipient_list,
        fail_silently=fail_silently,
        html_message=html_message
    )
