Who’s excited for “Candyman”? It’s an understatement how thrilled I am about Nia DaCosta’s remake coming out this fall. I’m a fan of the original, but I see how DaCosta’s take on the film may bring it to more of a relevant place, in light of her perspective as a Black female filmmaker and the times we’re in. Also, the film takes place in my hometown of Chicago. I’ve always been disturbed by how most of the neighborhoods in the city are divided by race. The North side is mostly white, while the South side is mostly Black. There are some neighborhoods that are more integrated, but it’s obvious where the white bubbles are. The film “Candyman” shows that divide and is a microcosm of our country. A great analysis of this can be found in Peyton Danielle’s piece, “‘Candyman’: A Survey of America’s Historical Aversion to Urban Blackness”, featured on Film Daze.

Now, I’m embarrassed that it took me so long to see DaCosta’s “Little Woods”, which I finally got around to watching last night. The film blew me away with its haunting visuals and the moving performances by Tessa Thompson and Lily James. DaCosta took every inch of that film and turned it into a masterpiece, with the dark shadows etched against crystal clear nights, the beauty in the light, and the angles she chose to lens each scene, leads to my anticipation of her “Candyman”.

The mind-blowing shadow puppet trailer by Manual Cinema for the film is embedded below…

The artistry of the visuals melded with the music only adds to my anticipation. The film will debut on September 25th, 2020. And I couldn’t be more excited. Did I already say that?

“Little Woods” is streaming now on Hulu and Amazon.