The Inheritance

Julian transforms a house inherited from his grandmother into the seat of an African-American collective at the urging of his girlfriend. As more people move in, the commune overtakes the house. Under a poster of Godard's La Chinoise in the kitchen, the collective recites African-American poetry, analyzes postcolonial theory, conducts lessons in African languages, and reads engaged literature from the 1970s and 1980s found in the grandmother's chest. With a palette of colors, structure and humorous didacticism referencing Jean-Luc Godard's films, Ephraim Asili introduces an alternative revolutionary canon with the iconography of African-American artists and activists, presented in photos, books and CDs. As group dynamics evolve and actors step out of their roles, the film takes on an increasingly experimental and performative character. The fictional inheritance is a tribute to the heroes and heroines of radical resistance movements: the MOVE group, Black Arts Movement, Sonia Sanchez, Ursula Rucker and many others.