Black filmmakers, actors and films were an integral part of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. And now that the event is leaving Park City, Utah after 40+ years, they were around to say farewell to the old and welcome the new. In 2027 the fest is headed to Boulder, Colorado.  

If I Go Will They Miss Me (**)

In the past, some portrayals of Black families living in low-income communities have been filled with stereotypes. These days some have depicted rounded characters and eschewed cliches. E.g., A.V. Rockwell’s 2023 film One Thousand and One, which featured Teyana Taylor as a mother caught in life’s urban struggles while parenting her young son. The men around her had issues, but all were three-dimensional characters—void of demonizing depictions.  

Writer/director Walter Thompson-Hernandez (Kites) sets his family drama of woe in working class. Watts, Los Angeles. Lozita’s (Danielle Brooks) is blessed with her young son Anthony, Aka Lil Ant (Bodhi Dell). A model middle schooler whose creative head is always in the clouds. Dreaming of Black boys floating in air and conjuring other mystical images, Fantasyland is his refuge, mythology his thing and Pegasus his hero. Mom is less blessed with her husband Big Ant (J. Alphonse Nicholson, They Cloned Tyrone). Stints in prison, issues with drugs, playdates with other women and an overt animosity towards Lil Ant make him a thorn. 

All on view is imaginatively rendered. Like a visualist creating art, but not like a wise griot telling a story. The narrative never rises as high as Lil Ant’s dreams. It’s mired. Big Ant is an abusive, negative trope. An inner-city Black man as a devil. A creep. A one-dimensional character. A drag. In one pivotal scene, Big Ant, in a fit of madness, sadistically rips up his son’s treasured, fanciful artwork. When Lil Ant confronts him, the father smacks him. Ugh!

Viewers looking to Lozita for sanity will be likely be disappointed when she misses this key chance to break the cycle of abuse. Whatever the character does later to protect her family is way too late. Patient audiences have already checked out. It’s a big disappointment. Just like the script and the filmmaker’s dated interpretation of Black fathers. The winsomeness of the cinematography (Michael Fernandez), music (Malcolm Parson) and sets (production designer Maria Perez Ramirez) lingers. That’s where any positive commendations should end. 

Lady (**1/2) 

She’s a road warrior. Driving a cab on the chaotic streets of Lagos, Nigeria requires courage and Lady (Jessica Gabriel’s Ujah), a twentysomething, has that kind of gumption. Owns her van, supports herself and is a thriving female driver among a male-dominated occupation. The setting, premise and engaging lead character are products of first-time feature filmmaker Olive Nwosu’s great imagination. Her vision of city life catches an urban hustle and bustle spirit.

The footage starts with a dirge-like slow jazz/blues score (composer Ollie Mayo), so reminiscent of early Spike Lee film soundtracks. Then the music shifts into tangy Afrobeats. A vibrancy takes hold. All on view is captured in saturated colors and perfectly shot cinematography (Alana Mejia Gonzalez) as Nwosu spins her feminist tale. One that involves Lady, at the behest of her childhood friend Pinky (Amanda Oruh), becoming a driver for sex workers. A sisterhood grows between the driver and her passengers. One that triggers traumatic moments from Lady’s childhood that’ve left her afraid of sexual intimacy. 

The cast of women are all treasures. Gregarious, funny, gossipy. All living in a rat race that pushes them to find work the best way they can. Filmgoers will want Lady to find love, drive off into the sunset and have a happily-ever-after ending. The overdramatic script has other ideas. Which is a pity. The setup, production elements and acting are far stronger than the final stages of the story. Still a nice glimpse at lively Lagos. Easy to love the film’s characters and vibe, no matter what. Easy to want to take a peek

Soul Patrol (***1/2) 

It’s a soldier’s story. Veterans in this poignant documentary recollect their past and examine the present while writer/director J.M. Harper archives it all. Home life, combat, the aftermath of the unpopular War in Vietnam. Super 8 videos shot back in the ‘60s, other archival footage, present day interviews and compelling reenactments are the vital pieces in this carefully assembled puzzle (editors: Byron Leon, Niles Howard, Gabriela Tessitore). All elements are elevated by a musical soundtrack that embodies the times, with old soul music by James Brown to Jimmy Ruffin.

Back in the ‘60s, when they were young, these men dealt with racism in The States, MLK’s and RFK’s assassination and civil rights issues. In Vietnam, bigoted commanding officers and fighting the Viet Cong added more challenges. Behind enemy lines they built a camaraderie as the first all-Black Special Operations Long-Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) unit in Vietnam. A brotherhood that binds to this today, well into their 80s. Fighting and killing brown-skinned people, then returning to an indifferent and disrespectful America. Talking through their PTSD, sharing anecdotes and admitting to struggles becomes therapeutic and healing—for those in the film and those who watch. 

The unfairness of it all is duly noted: “We busted our asses to kill and got nothing for it!” “I relive that mission every single day of my life!” Logan Triplett’s astute cinematography doesn’t miss a smile, tear or hug. The hallowed history of these unsung heroes has been preserved. First recorded by the patrols’ own Ed Emanuel in his 2003 memoir Soul Patrol. Now sensitively chronicled by filmmaker J.M. Harper. After viewing, one phrase will come to mind for most audiences: “Thank you for your service.”

Troublemaker: The Story Behind the Mandela Tapes (***) 

Mere mortals may deserve one autobiographical film. Legends like the saintly Nelson Mandela merit more. Action film director Antoine Fuqua (Equalizer) and screenwriter Michael Mann use audio tapes, made while Mandela was writing his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom, as the base for this unique documentary format. Voiceovers, archival footage, old interviews and photos appear (editor Jake Pushinsky). Animation (Thabang Lehobye) augments the visuals as Mandela’s persona is meticulously recreated. In his own voice and with the film crew’s creative tools. 

Intimate, public and reflective moments get lifted by a dramatic musical score (Marcelo Zarvos). Viewers step back in time witnessing the social/political emergence of a biblical-like figure. Mandela’s voice retraces his own journey. Birth to death. Freedom, to imprisonment, to freedom. He thinks and talks in profound ways: “An unforgivable crime has been committed. It is a crime against all the people of our country We say to all south Africans Black and white, that the day of truth will dawn.” 

So much about the depiction of apartheid mirrors the current terror of ultra-conservatism today: Black South Africans carrying papers to avoid arrest. Voting rights a heated issue. People rising and demonstrating in the streets. Mandela’s words leave a trail that substantiates how a movement by activists led to a day of reckoning. There’s enough info for a mini-series. But somehow, this cliff-note version of the life of South Africa’s first Black president is succinct, comprehensive and enlightening enough. A presentation that includes iconic imagery. Like a photo of the time Mandela and F.W. de Klerk shook hands. A moment that verified that South Africa had finally became a multiracial democracy.   

Photos courtesy of the Sundance Film Festival 
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Visit Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com.