In 'If I Go Will They Miss Me,' a family seeks healing under the LAX flight path

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Six years ago, jet fuel was dumped from the sky onto a working-class city near Los Angeles International Airport, spattering onto children at an elementary school. For writer and director Walter Thompson-Hernández, who grew up nearby, the incident sparked a coming-of-age story that grapples with the contradictions of life under the LAX flight path.

His new film, “If I Go Will They Miss Me," stars Oscar nominee Danielle Brooks and opened in U.S. theaters Friday. It follows a family searching for connection in the LA neighborhood of Watts.

​“There’s 800 airplanes that fly into LAX every single day. What that does for us is it gives us 800 opportunities to dream, right? But with that dream also comes a terror,” said the filmmaker, citing his own asthma.

“This movie is about how we juxtapose so many different things, like love and pain, healing and hurt … how the same person that can help you to grow can also strip you of your innocence.”

The new film expands on the former journalist's award-winning short film of the same title, which he began writing shortly after a Delta Air Lines jet traveling from Los Angeles to Shanghai in 2020 dumped 15,000 gallons of fuel over the city of Cudahy and nearby neighborhoods because it was experiencing engine trouble. A lawsuit filed by teachers at Park Avenue Elementary School against the airline said the jet fuel drizzled down like raindrops, causing skin and lung irritation for both teachers and children. Delta last year agreed to a $79 million settlement.

​“For me, what that did was it just reminded me of how complicated and how beautiful and how heartbreaking it is to exist and to love under the LAX flight path,” Thompson-Hernández said.

The film follows a young boy named Lil Ant, played by newcomer Bodhi Jordan Dell, who views his distant father with a reverent admiration, likening him to Poseidon and Odysseus. Brooks and J. Alphonse Nicholson play Lil Ant’s parents, Lozita and Big Ant — loosely based on Thompson-Hernández’s real-life friends.

Lil Ant is a version of the filmmaker. He remembers growing up not knowing his father and creating mythologies about where and who he was.

“I created this like larger-than-life figure,” he said. "And what I found was that I wasn’t the only one in my neighborhood who was doing that ... I think that’s what’s universal about this movie is that we have a boy here who wants so deeply to be loved by a father who doesn’t have the tools to love him. And in spite of that, he still sees him as a Greek god. You know, how beautiful is that? How tragic is that?”

“If I Go Will They Miss Me” is a meditative film layered in symbolism from Greek mythology, as well as recurring images of planes, ocean waves and hues of purple and blue. It's a love letter to Los Angeles, both visually and sonically, as Thompson-Hernández bookends the film with the city's rich blue sky, which he says serves as a representation of hope and an ode to his hometown.

Brooks, who earned an Oscar nomination for her supporting role in the 2023 musical “The Color Purple,” says working on Thompson-Hernández's film was a “breath of fresh air" that allowed her to showcase a different side of her craft.

“I want to see it win,” she said about the project. “I just want people to know that there’s something out there in this art form that can help you see yourself. And also help you reflect on yourself.”

​Thompson-Hernández's short film earned him a jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2022. In his previous work as a journalist for The New York Times, he showcased Southern California subcultures, highlighting his own dual Black American and Mexican-American identity. His 2020 nonfiction book “The Compton Cowboys” focused on a group of Black American cowboys keeping Black Western heritage alive in the city.

The filmmaker says some might look at his work as a “highlight of overlooked communities,” but to him, he is simply documenting the families he grew up seeing every day.

“My world is full of people who are loving and beautiful and complicated, and in need of stories that reflect how multifaceted they are and how they’re able to dream and love and repair,” he said.

Repair is at the center of the story in “If I Go Will They Miss Me,” which Thompson-Hernández hopes will offer audiences a chance to explore what it looks like for a younger generation to create a future that includes hope and healing.

​Thompson-Hernández recalls a scene where Lozita apologizes to Lil Ant for not protecting him during a tense interaction between him and his father.

​“I just didn’t grow up in a home where people apologized to each other," he said. “How do we not just break the chain, but create a new chain that feels healthy? ... How lucky am I to explore these questions that I’ve had my entire life that now are able to come out in a movie.”

Walter Thompson-Hernandez poses for a portrait to promote "If I Go They Will Miss Me" on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Birdie Thompson/Invision/AP)

Danielle Brooks poses for a portrait to promote "If I Go They Will Miss Me" on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Birdie Thompson/Invision/AP)

Walter Thompson-Hernandez, left, and Danielle Brooks pose for a portrait to promote "If I Go They Will Miss Me" on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Birdie Thompson/Invision/AP)

Walter Thompson-Hernandez,right, and Danielle Brooks pose for a portrait to promote "If I Go They Will Miss Me" on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Birdie Thompson/Invision/AP)

Walter Thompson-Hernandez, left, and Danielle Brooks pose for a portrait to promote "If I Go They Will Miss Me" on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Birdie Thompson/Invision/AP)

ATLANTA (AP) — The NFC South suffered the indignity of having four teams finish with losing records last season and take Week 1 losses to open the 2026 season.

Last week's poor showing makes division matchups, including Carolina's visit to Atlanta on Sunday, especially important.

Though the Panthers finished with the same 8-9 regular-season record as Atlanta and Tampa Bay last season, they swept the two games against the Falcons on their way to winning the division title tiebreaker.

Panthers quarterback Bryce Young says coach Dave Canales has stressed that the best route to the playoffs is winning division games.

“Coach talks about it all of the time," Young said. ”Our first goal is to win the South. Obviously those division wins mean so much when you’re trying to accomplish that goal. You have the same process for every game — you don’t get too high or too low, but this is a business and we are all players and we understand what is at stake every time there is a division opponent. We know what this game means.”

Atlanta's home opener follows a 20-13 opening loss at Pittsburgh last week. The Falcons were forced to start third-string quarterback Cooper Rush after Tua Tagovailoa suffered an oblique injury in practice and Michael Penix Jr. continues to recover from a 2025 season-ending left knee injury.

Rush threw two interceptions, including T.J. Watt’s pick-6 in the fourth quarter.

Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski on Friday said Cooper Rush will make his second straight start at quarterback. Michael Penix Jr. split snaps with Rush this week but will be inactive as he continues his recovery from season-ending surgery on his left knee in 2025. Tua Tagovailoa (oblique) is listed as doubtful.

The Falcons have had uncertainty at quarterback since the start of training camp, but their bigger problem may be finding a way to contain Young and the Panthers' passing game. Young set a franchise record by passing for 448 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in Carolina's 30-27 overtime win at Atlanta to sweep the Falcons last season.

“He’s a very smart quarterback,” said Falcons safety Jessie Bates III of Young. "I think they’ve done a lot of really good things to help him bring out his strengths in his game, whether that’s them going to empty or rhythm-type of throws to help them out. I think that he’s definitely become a really high-level quarterback in this league for sure.”

Young's top playmakers are Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker, an undrafted rookie in 2024 who had eight catches for a career-high 138 yards and two touchdowns in last week's 59-37 loss to Chicago.

Carolina (0-1) at Atlanta (0-1)

When/where to watch: Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, Fox

Latest odds: Panthers by 2 1/2.

Against the spread: Panthers 0-1; Falcons 0-1.

Last week: Panthers lost to Bears 59-37; Falcons lost to Steelers 20-13.

Last meeting: Panthers beat Falcons 30-27 in overtime in Atlanta on Nov. 16, 2025.

Series record: Falcons lead 37-25.

Panthers run defense vs. Falcons running back Bijan Robinson. The Panthers allowed two Chicago running backs to reach 100 rushing yards in the Bears' 59-37 win last week in Charlotte. Overall, the Bears rushed for 291 yards and six touchdowns and averaged 7.5 yards per carry. Robinson had 21 carries for 83 yards and eight receptions for 90 yards in the Falcons' 20-13 loss at Pittsburgh as the focal point of an offense that had a limited passing game.

— The Panthers and Bears combined to score 96 points in Week 1, making it the highest-scoring season-opening game in NFL history. Unfortunately for the Panthers, they gave up 59 of those points, the most in franchise history.

— Panthers WR Jalen Coker had eight catches for a career-high 138 yards and two touchdowns in the Week 1 shootout with the Bears.

— RB Chuba Hubbard had touchdowns rushing and receiving in Week 1 and remains the Panthers top option in the backfield.

— The Panthers defense allowed six touchdowns rushing against the Bears and two TDs in each quarter.

— Young is 4-1 against the Falcons, completing 110 of 165 pass attempts (66.7%) for 1,133 yards and seven touchdowns. He is 10-30 as a starter against the rest of the league.

— With Rush at quarterback, Drake London had only two catches for 29 yards and Kyle Pitts had no catches and only one target against Pittsburgh. London, Atlanta’s go-to wide receiver, and Pitts, coming off a productive season at tight end, each received new contracts in the offseason.

— Tagovailoa did not participate in practice Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Cornerback A.J. Terrell (shoulder) and RG Chris Lindstrom (concussion protocol) are questionable.

— The Falcons are 21-10 at home in the rivalry.

— The Falcons ranked 31st in passing yards and 30th in total yards following their weak offensive showing in their opener.

AP Sports Writer Steve Reed in Charlotte, N.C., contributed to this report.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Cooper Rush (13) reacts after a sack during an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Justin Berl)

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) runs the ball in for a touchdown during an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Justin Berl)

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) runs in for a touchdown during an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)