Review: I Will Follow

Grieving is never an easy thing to do but writer-director Ava DuVernay paints a beautifully simplistic portrait of the process in her feature film debut,  I Will Follow.

Starring Salli Richardson-Whitfield, I Will Follow tells the story of Maye, a well-known make-up artist who has dedicated the past year or so of her life to taking care of her ailing aunt. The audience meets Maye on the day when she’s set to move out of the home her and aunt once shared and proceeds to chronicle the day as Maye strives to cope with her loss and move on with her life, with help from the unlikeliest of people.

There are a total of twelve visitors who help Maye move forward and every one of them brings a new thought to the fray, each revealing a different step in Maye’s grieving process.  This transformation is a testament to DuVernay’s writing, which is never heavy-handed and never lacking in depth.  The important lines are said in meaningful pauses, subtle body language and nuanced performances from an outstanding supporting cast that includes Omari Hardwick, Traci Thomas, Blair Underwood and Michole Briana White.  DuVernay’s direction is intimate and in under two hours the audience is able to feel like the thirteenth visitor who could have possibly had a hand in helping Maye move on.

For anyone who has ever lost someone close to them, this film is for you. For anyone who has been dying to see great stories depicting characters of color, this film is for you. For anyone who is tired of the same and often times offensive crap that is considered to be the standard in Black cinema,  I Will Follow is for you.  The content  is simple, yet the development of said content is something that we’ve all lived through at one time or another.

I Will Follow has expanded to more cities throughout the country, thanks to a grassroots effort supported by DuVernay’s non-profit organization AFFRM, a movement dedicated to getting black independent films in theaters across the country.  Don’t be left out of the movement, find where I Will Follow is playing near you, grab a friend and go support it.

My Grade: 8/10