Children have a certain picture of their parents that isn’t necessarily true to life, and may be either grounded in a particular formative moment or memory or based on how they’d like to see them. Having a parent who is often absent can lead to profound disappointment but also elated joy when they do return, a chance to see someone who has made a sincere mark but who just isn’t there all the time. If I Go Will They Miss Me tells the story of a boy who idolizes his father, who is frequently in and out of prison, and compares him to the mythical Pegasus.
Little Ant (Bodhi Dell) lives with his mother Lozita (Danielle Brooks) in Watts, California, right near the airport. His father Big Ant (J. Alphonse Nicholson) is freshly out of prison, a welcome sight for Lozita and a wonder for Little Ant. As he works on a school project and longs for his father’s attention, Little Ant starts to see visions of young boys moving aimlessly around the neighborhood. Stuck revisiting bad decisions from his own childhood, Big Ant adjusts to being at home and spending his time how he likes, not always in sync with Lozita or eager to provide the warm support that Little Ant could use from the man who he looks uk to most.
This is an expansion of the 2022 short of the same name by writer-director Walter Thompson-Hernandez. It has a dreamlike feel that isn’t limited solely to these shared hallucinations with some unknown meaning that Little Ant and Big Ant have, rooted in nostalgia as audiences see glimpses of happier times for Little Ant’s parents when they first got married and things seemed like they might actually work out. One shot of Big Ant hanging out of a car as he drives the streets with his longtime best friend captures the way that his son seems him, almost indescribable in his legendary status, effortlessly moving through the world even though it hasn’t always been kind to him. Cinematographer Michael Fernandez has a gorgeous way of filming this story’s surroundings and adding personality to each space and setting.
Dell is a true find, full of hope in his eyes and passion in his dreams, speaking up in class to tell the myth of Pegasus as images of his parents flash across the screen. The admiration and longing he has for his father is evident in the way that he looks at him, and he channels that into his art. Nicholson is appropriately distant and removed as a man who knows what he should be doing but can’t always do it, aware that he has to put himself first occasionally even if he needs to be a role model for his children so they don’t follow him down the same path. Brooks is excellent as always, slightly tempering the sarcasm she often folds into her characters to play someone who has an idea of what she wants her life to be but has accepted how it is, and has to be there for her son since she can’t depend on his father, who she does care for deeply and treasures having around when he’s actually there.
This is a beautiful vision of a family sometimes able to connect, with each member charting their own course and trying to figure out what it is that they need. The three main players interact marvelously, adding so much dimension to these strongly-written characters. The technical elements complement rich storytelling, evoking memories of Moonlight and its framing of childhood innocence and imagination. Its incorporation of those haunting visions and the airplanes landing almost right on top of each avenge enhance the experience, leaving behind a sense of longing for the moments that stick most positively with these family members, keeping them going when things aren’t as easy.
Movie Rating: 8/10
If I Go Will They Miss Me premieres in the NEXT section at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
