The Inheritance
CAST: Nozipho McClean, Eric Lockley, Chris Jarell, Julian Rozzell Jr. DIRECTOR: Ephraim Asili VIRTUAL SCREENING ROOM | CLOSES 5/16/21
After nearly a decade exploring different facets of the African diaspora — and his own place within it—Ephraim Asili makes his feature-length debut with The Inheritance, an astonishing ensemble work set almost entirely within a West Philadelphia house where a community of young, Black artists and activists form a collective. A scripted drama of characters attempting to work towards political consensus—based partly on Asili’s own experiences in a Black liberationist group—weaves with a documentary recollection of the Philadelphia liberation group MOVE, the victim of a notorious police bombing in 1985. Ceaselessly finding commonalties between politics, humor, and philosophy, with Black authors and radicals at its edges, The Inheritance is a remarkable film about the world as we know it.
A joyous celebration of Blackness. THE INHERITANCE is alive, drunk off the colors and textures of West Philadelphia.Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire
A striking debut. Playfully didactic and joyous in its creation of a safe space to nurture, discuss, and celebrate Black culture.Serena Scateni, Hyperallergic
Critic’s Pick! A Black collective becomes a site of robust intellectual exchange, inspired artistry, joy and humor. THE INHERITANCE feels like poetry visualized. A striking film.Lovia Gyarkey, The New York Times
