James Baldwin said, "If a relationship of father to son could really be reduced to biology, the whole earth would blaze with the glory of fathers and sons, but sometimes biology leaves us with only embers."
The story follows Tarrell, a painter, as his estranged abusive/addict father, La'Ron, resurfaces attempting to repair their relationship and the impact it has on his family, leading to a rich emotional rollercoaster. The use of Tarrell’s art as a vehicle for memories is something that really resonates with me. I’m sure many others place pieces of their past experiences, positive or negative, within their work. Giving your art a slice of your past is so powerful. The transitions from the paintings to the flashbacks are truly amazing and really add to the weight of each moment. The confessional scene with Tarrell asking La’Ron when he first started using and the simmering contempt he has for his father as La’Ron tries to share memories from his experiences with his own father and build rapport with him, but ultimately it gives insight into the abuse La’Ron faced growing up and how he became a mirror of his own abusive father. Tarrell's moments of softness with his own son work as a nice counterbalance to this in almost all of the scenes between them; the two are playing and laughing or having a good time, something Tarrell's childhood couldn’t offer him due to being made to work long hours even while injured to fund LaRon's addiction. Tarrell's journey from being consumed by his hurt and resentment for La’Ron to the final conversation between the two at his art.
"You took the past, and man, I forgive you. I understand life didn’t give you a lot of choices, but the future? That’s mine."
No happy ending or reconciliation for the two, which is then tied up neatly with Tarrel and his son sharing an "I love you".
All of these moving parts create such a deep and painful yet realistic experience that I deeply recommend.
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