Finding poetic beauty in the quotidian, Walter Thompson-Hernández’s If I Go Will They Miss Me centers on coming of age in housing projects of southern Los Angeles. It’s a way of life often depicted with a grittiness that favors do-or-die intensity, yet this emerging director of great promise takes an opposite approach. One where dreams of flight are always on the mind as the planes coming in and out of nearby LAX are constantly passing above. Greek gods, as studied in school, give purpose to a higher calling. An affection and adoration for and from its ensemble (many non-professionals, in this case) form a portrait of a living, loving community that rises above hardship. Just as his characters draw grand personal inspiration, Thompson-Hernández is greatly indebted to a variety of renowned directors, including Barry Jenkins, RaMell Ross, Charles Burnett, and Spike Lee, with the end result a film greater than the sum of its recognizable influences.
The Nickerson Gardens Housing Projects of Watts, California, is both home and playground to 12-year-old Lil Ant (Bodhi Dell), introduced reflecting on the life of his father, Big Ant (J. Alphonse Nicholson), in what will form the film’s central, complicated relationship. In voiceover written as to seem extemporaneous and spoken as a prayer to the Gods above, we learn of a violent mistake in his father’s past—the first steps to a life in and out of jail juxtaposed with images of deep feeling, including his relationship to Lozita (Danielle Brooks). We also learn of Lil Ant’s obsession with the planes that circle above, a motif of escape and wonder further threaded in the form of Greek mythology as the likes of Odysseus, Poseidon, Zeus, and Pegasus fill his mind with larger-than-life imagination. We witness fantastical images of Lozita as Medusa, snakes curling out of her hair at the barbershop. Other flights of fancy include a sequence of the boys of the neighborhood taxiing down the proverbial runway of their shared front yards, arms aligned in a fashion that would make Aunt Gladys proud.
“It’s always better when dad is away,” reveals Lil Ant, while Lozita notes, when asked if she’s romantically happy upon Big Ant’s return, “It’s not about what I need. It’s about what them three kids need right now.” A hardened father who wants a better life for his son, Big Ant doesn’t have capability to emotionally connect with his son, who is more interested in a world of art and creativity, which could be another planet compared to his own difficult upbringing. The vignette style of If I Go Will They Miss Me brings a lyrical grace to this clash, yet it can often mean certain scenes feel cut short and a script underwritten to better serve the nimble flow.
With warm, exuberant cinematography by Michael Fernandez, Thompson-Hernández captures everyone in this community with a sense of love, taking a note from Barry Jenkins’ (or Jonathan Demme’s) direct-to-camera, fourth-wall-breaking shots as actors gaze onward, cordial souls captured for brief moments. The free-form assemblage of memories, as if a visual scrapbook we have the privilege of piecing together, recalls the wondrous structural filmmaking of RaMell Ross, while Charles Burnett’s Killer of Sheep, also finding great beauty in the same neighborhoods, is an unmistakable touchstone. There’s even a Spike Lee-like dolly shot thrown in for good measure.
With these influences clearly felt, If I Go Will They Miss Me doesn’t necessarily suggest a novel filmmaking voice, but one that can synthesize a medley of strong visions into a style that captivates. We need more filmmakers seeking to capture the divine in everyday life and, with this second feature, Walter Thompson-Hernández proves a director to anticipate whatever he takes on next.
If I Go Will They Miss Me premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.