Will They Miss Me' Asks What Happens When A Child's Hero Is Just Human

Director Walter Thompson-Hernández and star Danielle Brooks discuss the family drama “If I Go Will They Miss Me,” a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story set beneath the flight paths of South Los Angeles. The film’s emotional core, the interview emphasizes, is not only a fractured family seeking healing but also the fragile innocence of children—particularly how kids can assume the adults they admire are inherently good. Thompson-Hernández, a former New York Times journalist turned filmmaker, explores the gap between a 12-year-old’s perceptions and adult reality. Raised by his Mexican mother in Huntington Park after not meeting his father until adulthood, he describes constructing images of his dad during childhood. The article details the story’s LA Watts setting, where Big Ant returns home from prison, trying to resume life, while his son Lil Ant continues to view him with wonder.