LOS ANGELES – Six years ago, a surprising incident occurred near Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) when a Delta Air Lines jet dumped jet fuel over a working-class city. This event, which even affected children at a local elementary school, has inspired writer and director Walter Thompson-Hernández to create a powerful coming-of-age story that reflects the complexities of life under the LAX flight path.
Thompson-Hernández’s new film, “If I Go Will They Miss Me,” stars Oscar nominee Danielle Brooks and opened in U.S. theaters on Friday. The movie centers around a family in Watts, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, as they search for connection amidst the backdrop of their community.
“There’s 800 airplanes that fly into LAX every single day. What that does for us is it gives us 800 opportunities to dream, right? But with that dream also comes a terror,” said Thompson-Hernández, who has personally dealt with asthma, highlighting the dual nature of living close to such a busy airport.
The film is not just about the challenges of living in the shadow of frequent flights; it also explores deep emotional themes. “This movie is about how we juxtapose so many different things, like love and pain, healing and hurt … how the same person that can help you to grow can also strip you of your innocence,” he explained.
The inspiration for the film came from a shocking incident that occurred in 2020, when a Delta Air Lines flight dumped 15,000 gallons of fuel over Cudahy, affecting local residents and prompting a lawsuit from teachers at Park Avenue Elementary School due to health issues caused by the fuel. Delta eventually settled for $79 million.
“For me, what that did was it just reminded me of how complicated and how beautiful and how heartbreaking it is to exist and to love under the LAX flight path,” Thompson-Hernández remarked.
The narrative is centered around a young boy named Lil Ant, portrayed by newcomer Bodhi Jordan Dell. Lil Ant admires his distant father, imagining him as a mythical figure like Poseidon or Odysseus. Brooks and J. Alphonse Nicholson play his parents, Lozita and Big Ant, characters inspired by Thompson-Hernández’s own childhood friends.
Reflecting on his own experiences, Thompson-Hernández shared, “I created this larger-than-life figure in my mind about my father, and I found that I wasn’t alone in doing that within my neighborhood.” He emphasizes the universal theme of yearning for a father’s love, even when that love is complicated or absent. “How beautiful is that? How tragic is that?” he asks rhetorically.
“If I Go Will They Miss Me” is rich in symbolism, drawing from Greek mythology and featuring recurring motifs like planes and ocean waves. The film serves as a love letter to Los Angeles, showcasing its beauty through stunning visuals and sound. Thompson-Hernández wants viewers to feel hope as they watch the film unfold against the backdrop of the city’s vibrant blue sky.
Brooks, acclaimed for her recent Oscar-nominated role in “The Color Purple,” described working on Thompson-Hernández’s film as a refreshing experience. “I want to see it win,” she expressed, emphasizing the project’s potential to help audiences reflect on their own lives.
Thompson-Hernández has a history of chronicling Southern California communities. His short film version of “If I Go Will They Miss Me” won a jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2022. As a former journalist for The New York Times, he has highlighted the diverse subcultures of Southern California, often drawing from his own mixed Black American and Mexican-American heritage. His book, “The Compton Cowboys,” documents a group of Black cowboys preserving their heritage in the city.
For Thompson-Hernández, his work is not merely about highlighting overlooked communities; it’s about authentically representing the families he grew up with. “My world is full of people who are loving and beautiful and complicated,” he stated, emphasizing the need for stories that reflect their multifaceted lives.
At its core, “If I Go Will They Miss Me” addresses themes of repair and healing. Thompson-Hernández hopes the film encourages younger generations to envision a future filled with hope. He recalls a poignant scene in which Lozita apologizes to Lil Ant for not protecting him during a difficult moment with his father, a gesture he noted was absent in his own upbringing. “How do we not just break the chain, but create a new chain that feels healthy?” he pondered, grateful for the opportunity to explore these lifelong questions through his film.
