Review of I Will Follow (2010) by Cedric H — 06 Jul 2012

Following the death of her aunt Amanda(Beverly Todd), a famed studio musician, Maye(Salli Richardson-Whitfield, of "Eureka") is packing up all of her belongings from the house they shared for a year during her illness. However, a dispute with the moving company disrupts her plans, as she now has to rely on the help of friends and family. For the last part, Amanda's daughter Fran(Michole White) is more interested in preserving her mother's legacy than what is happening in the present day. When Fran goes out for lunch, she leaves behind her teenaged son Raven(Dijon Talton) who in return for his assistance learns a little more about music.

Even though I am not a big fan of digital handheld camerawork, "I Will Follow" is an emotionally complex and poignant film about what is left behind after a person dies, not only in the material sense, but in how they are remembered. In any case, it is always best to respect others' wishes no matter how much it might pain us. All of which plays out over a 24 hour time span that allows us to get an idea of not only what Amanda's life was all about, but also Maye's, too. That's not to mention the paean to studio musicians while serving up a surprising defense of disco.