The Inheritance

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The Inheritance

Released Mar 12, 2021

1h 40m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

91%

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34 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

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.

Critics Consensus

A rich, multilayered look at Black identity past, present, and future, The Inheritance hums with visual, emotional, and intellectual energy.

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Adam Nayman

The Ringer

The most impressive aspect of The Inheritance is how its dense, complex weave of different narrative and rhetorical styles and visual and aural textures ends up playing as completely effortless. It's a heavy movie with a light touch.

Jul 19, 2021

Full Review

Jenny Nulf

Austin Chronicle

The Inheritance is a metrical, stunning piece of cinema.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 25, 2021

Full Review

Christy Lemire

FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)

Definitely not everyone's cup of tea, but I so admired the playfulness of its structure.

Mar 22, 2021

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Jason Shawhan

Nashville Scene

It's a dazzling achievement.

Sep 10, 2021

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Rob Thomas

Capital Times (Madison, WI)

The result is a collage of visuals and emotions, with anger and hope entwining.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 13, 2021

Full Review

Paul Attard

In Review Online

But Asili doesn't possess the abilities needed to pull this off, often playing into a blunt, didactic tone that's more in line with the formal antecedents he's cribbing from.

Jun 6, 2021

Full Review

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Ephraim Asili

Director

Chris Jarell

Rich

Aurielle Akerele

Actor

Eric Lockley

Julian

Nozipho Mclean

Gwen

Nyabel Lual

Patricia

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Cinema Sabaya

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The Inheritance: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

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.

Director: Ephraim Asili
Producer: Ephraim Asili, Vic Brooks
Screenwriter: Ephraim Asili
Distributor: Grasshopper Film
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 12, 2021, Limited
Runtime: 1h 40m