Premiering at SXSW25, The Makings of Curtis Mayfield was, without a doubt, the most fun I have had at a film screening since The Ballad of Wallis Island at Sundance back in January. I still have no idea why a dance party didn’t break out up and down the aisles of the Paramount Theater at its premiere on Monday afternoon.
Marking multi-award-winning artist H.E.R.’s directorial debut, The Makings of Curtis Mayfield is a joyous exploration and deconstruction of the work of one of the funkiest, most soulful musicians in history. It is absolutely loaded with legendary talking heads from Ernie Isley to Mary J. Blige to Dr. Dre. Much of the film is built around conversations between H.E.R. and these guests in which they reflect on their earliest memories of (or experiences with) Mayfield and the impact he and his music has had on their work and lives. Some of the conversations evolve into almost academic analyses of Mayfield’s music and lyrics and their cultural staying power (for fellow artists, if not for a wide enough public). In other moments, H.E.R. simply lets an entire Mayfield classic play without commentary, and while the music speaks for itself, these moments felt like missed opportunities for further lyrical or sonic deconstruction…or even conversations about Mayfield as a person.
And that may be what some viewers will long for the most after watching this film, which is, ultimately, an overdue hagiography and celebration of a prophet and saint…or at least his music. Mayfield spoke (sang) truth to power, never lost hope or optimism (even when paralyzed late in life), and frequently appealed to the better angels of our nature in much of his music, even as he came up in a time when he—and many people like him—knew first-hand the devils among us. But the film doesn’t devote any time to exploring his motivations and the spiritual fuel, so to speak, for this fire. Like many musical artists of his time, he grew up singing in church, but this seems like a taken-for-granted inclusion in the film. The documentary revels in Mayfield’s ability to swing between song genres—from “People Get Ready” to “The Makings of You” to “Superfly”—but doesn’t interrogate why he felt comfortable or motivated to do so. The how of it all, however, is crystal clear…the man was a genius.
In an age when streamers and distributors are primarily obsessed with “names,” surely The Makings of Curtis Mayfield will find a home, and when it does, you’ll want to watch it standing up so you can move to the music.