Terence Nance

Terence Nance

Nascimento : 1982-02-10, Dallas, Texas, USA

História

Terence Nance (born February 10, 1982; Dallas, Texas) is an American filmmaker, writer, director, actor and musician. He is best known for his directing debut "An Oversimplification of Her Beauty" (2012), and as the creator of the avant-garde TV program "Random Acts of Flyness" (2018), which is produced by his production company MVMT and airs on HBO. Nance is in a relationship with Naima Ramos-Chapman. The two met while they interviewed him for Saint Heron, the creative agency owned by Solange Knowles. Nance was born in Dallas, Texas. He earned his MFA from New York University where he studied visual art. Nance's 2012 film "An Oversimplification of Her Beauty" incorporates an earlier short film, animation and an original score. It premiered in the Sundance Film Festival's New Frontier section in 2012 and was also screened as part of the 2012 New Directors/New Films Festival in New York. Scholar Terri Francis has described it as "...an experimental film...that recreates the unspoken space amid friendship and relationships". Starring Terence Nance himself and the girl with whom he is caught up in this difficult dance, the film shifts between reconstruction and reimagining using both animation and live action. The film was also featured at a screening as part of the Afrofuturist Film Festival at the New School on 3 May 2015. In August 2018, Nance's TV series "Random Acts of Flyness" debuted on HBO. In September 2018, Nance was announced as the director of the sequel of Space Jam, produced by Ryan Coogler. On July 16, 2019, it was announced that Nance left the project because he and "the studio/producers had different takes on the creative vision for Space Jam: A New Legacy", though he retained both screenwriting and executive producing credits. Nance also composes and performs music under the alias "Terence Etc.", composing some of the music for his "Random Acts of Flyness" series and releasing his debut EP "Things I Never Had" in January 2020. His debut full-length album "V O R T E X" was released on August 19, 2022 under the Brainfeeder label.

Perfil

Terence Nance

Filmes

The Young Wife
Music
Follows a woman grappling with the meaning of love and commitment in the face of an uncertain and tumultuous world. A sunny-day panic attack and a wholly new take on the wedding film, the movie follows her over the course of her “non-wedding” day.
Fantasmas do Passado
Executive Producer
Três mulheres lutam para encontrar seus lugares em uma universidade de elite no nordeste dos Estados Unidos, tão antiga quanto o país. Quando ataques racistas anônimos são feitos contra uma caloura negra - que insiste que está sendo assombrada por fantasmas do passado da escola - cada mulher deve descobrir onde está a verdadeira ameaça.
Out / Side of Time
Executive Producer
This new work was made especially for the room by Jenn Nkiru, a British-born filmmaker of Nigerian descent. Her videos celebrate the vibrant creativity and speculative vision of the African diaspora while exploring what she calls, "cosmic archaeology," a potentially mystical connection to history through visual memory.
Space Jam: Uma Nova Era
Screenplay
A superestrela da NBA LeBron James e o seu filho são presos pelo algoritmo AI-G. Para LeBron conseguir regressar a casa terá de orientar Bugs Bunny e os indisciplinados Looney Tunes num jogo de basquetebol e vencer a equipa de bandidos do vilão.
Space Jam: Uma Nova Era
Story
A superestrela da NBA LeBron James e o seu filho são presos pelo algoritmo AI-G. Para LeBron conseguir regressar a casa terá de orientar Bugs Bunny e os indisciplinados Looney Tunes num jogo de basquetebol e vencer a equipa de bandidos do vilão.
Space Jam: Uma Nova Era
Executive Producer
A superestrela da NBA LeBron James e o seu filho são presos pelo algoritmo AI-G. Para LeBron conseguir regressar a casa terá de orientar Bugs Bunny e os indisciplinados Looney Tunes num jogo de basquetebol e vencer a equipa de bandidos do vilão.
Judas e o Messias Negro
Main Title Designer
A história de Fred Hampton, um dos líderes do Partido dos Panteras Negras, que foi assassinado em 1969 sob as ordens do FBI, que coagiu um pequeno criminoso chamado William O'Neal para ajudá-los a silenciar Hampton, a pedido do agente do FBI Mitchell e J. Edgar Hoover.
Killing in Thy Name
Executive Producer
A teacher gives a brief history lesson on the concept of whitness to students. This is intercut with Rage Against the Machines Killing in The Name of as well as quotes relating to the discussion. It goes onto critique racism and the overall structure of wealth and power in America and the history that generated it.
18 Black Girls and Boys Ages 1-18 Who Have Arrived at the Singularity and are thus Spiritual Machines: $9 in an Edition of $97 Quadrillion
Director
18 Black Girls Ages 1-18 Who Have Arrived at the Singularity and are thus Spiritual Machines: $8 in an Edition of $97 Quadrillion
Director
Omniboat: A Fast Boat Fantasia
Writer
Omniboat: A Fast Boat Fantasia aborda uma série de histórias vividas por uma lancha, desde sua concepção até às grandes aventuras vividas em Miami. Uma lancha que navega por tudo, desde golfinhos até um não-convencional amor.
Omniboat: A Fast Boat Fantasia
Director
Omniboat: A Fast Boat Fantasia aborda uma série de histórias vividas por uma lancha, desde sua concepção até às grandes aventuras vividas em Miami. Uma lancha que navega por tudo, desde golfinhos até um não-convencional amor.
18 Black Boys Ages 1-18 Who Have Arrived at the Singularity and Are Thus Spiritual Machines: $7 in an Edition of $97 Quadrillion
Director
Edited record of performance conducted at SFFilm; posted on Vimeo.
Steve
Executive Producer
If grinding in the bustling streets of NYC isn't enough for a Broadway actress, an uninvited guest in her apartment might be just the thing to put her over the edge.
Guisado on Sunset
Editor
Missed connection regret at that one late-night spot—the kind you keep playing back in your head but not quite ever remembering right, until it starts to look like something else.
Guisado on Sunset
Missed connection regret at that one late-night spot—the kind you keep playing back in your head but not quite ever remembering right, until it starts to look like something else.
Guisado on Sunset
Director of Photography
Missed connection regret at that one late-night spot—the kind you keep playing back in your head but not quite ever remembering right, until it starts to look like something else.
Guisado on Sunset
Writer
Missed connection regret at that one late-night spot—the kind you keep playing back in your head but not quite ever remembering right, until it starts to look like something else.
Guisado on Sunset
Director
Missed connection regret at that one late-night spot—the kind you keep playing back in your head but not quite ever remembering right, until it starts to look like something else.
Pier Kids: The Life
Executive Producer
The lives of three LGBTQ homeless youths who congregate on Christopher St. in New York City.
When I Get Home
Director
In the three years since her seminal album "A Seat at the Table", Solange has broadened her artistic reach, expanding her work to museum installations, unconventional live performances, and striking videos. With her fourth album, "When I Get Home", the singer continues to push her vision forward with an exploration of roots and their lifelong influence. In Solange's case, that's the culturally rich Houston of her childhood. Some will know these references - candy paint, the late legend DJ Screw - via the city's mid-aughts hip-hop explosion, but through Solange's lens, these same touchstones are elevated to high art.
Nowhere, Nobody
Director
Selah e Os Espadas
Songs
Cinco facções comandam a vida secreta do prestigiado internato Haldwell. Na liderança da facção mais poderosa – OS ESPADAS – está Selah Summers. Alternando charme e crueldade, ela escolhe quem quer ter por perto e quem deve se mandar, caminhando sobre a linha tênue entre ser temida ou amada.
Selah e Os Espadas
Executive Producer
Cinco facções comandam a vida secreta do prestigiado internato Haldwell. Na liderança da facção mais poderosa – OS ESPADAS – está Selah Summers. Alternando charme e crueldade, ela escolhe quem quer ter por perto e quem deve se mandar, caminhando sobre a linha tênue entre ser temida ou amada.
As Told To G/D Thyself
Sound Designer
The cosmic journey of sacred youth, during which pain, pleasure, and sublimation are nonnegotiable.
As Told To G/D Thyself
Editor
The cosmic journey of sacred youth, during which pain, pleasure, and sublimation are nonnegotiable.
As Told To G/D Thyself
Story
The cosmic journey of sacred youth, during which pain, pleasure, and sublimation are nonnegotiable.
As Told To G/D Thyself
Director
The cosmic journey of sacred youth, during which pain, pleasure, and sublimation are nonnegotiable.
Piu Piu
Executive Producer
A restless young woman yearns to escape the confines of romance in order to find her superpower.
Piu Piu
Producer
A restless young woman yearns to escape the confines of romance in order to find her superpower.
Piu Piu
A restless young woman yearns to escape the confines of romance in order to find her superpower.
The Burial of Kojo
Producer
Um homem é preso em uma mina por seu irmão vingativo enquanto sua filha embarca em uma jornada mágica para resgatá-lo.
The Burial of Kojo
Associate Producer
Um homem é preso em uma mina por seu irmão vingativo enquanto sua filha embarca em uma jornada mágica para resgatá-lo.
Afroprojection #1: The Sweet Atmosphere Phased at 120° and Went Blank When the Universe Collapsed
Afroprojection #1: The Atmosphere Phased at 120° and Went Blank When The Universe Collapsed, a proposal on parallel dimensions and black psychiatry... ‘live’ from the Merciful Allah Black Hole Theatre
A Madeline de Madeline
Thanks
Mesmo quando Madeline é ela mesma, é difícil dizer se está apenas interpretando o papel de Madeline. Aos olhos de sua ansiosa mãe, a garota é uma criatura vulnerável cujo óbvio distúrbio mental requer cuidado e tratamento médico. Mas no palco, na oficina teatral dirigida pela exigente e por vezes até mesmo imprudente.
White People Won't Save You
Director
Welcome to WHITEPEOPLEWONTSAVEYOU.ORG. We provide specialized consulting services for feature film and television productions.
18 Black Boys Ages 1-18 Who Have Arrived at the Singularity and Are Thus Spiritual Machines: $6 in an Edition of $97 Quadrillion
Director
The above is a performance during which I google the phrase "1 year old black boy" ascending in age to the age of 18. I allow Google's "popular searches" algorithm to predict what comes after the phrase and peruse the results based on what Google thinks I want to search for in a Black boy. The algorithm generates results based on the most popular searches so it can be theorized that the Black boys that the algorithm predicts are the Black boys we are searching for.
The Paris Project
Executive Producer
A Brooklyn based artist moves to Paris to get married and start a new life. As an old life of crime catches up to him, he enters the depths of Paris' underground art and spiritual drug scenes to settle a score.
The Paris Project
A Brooklyn based artist moves to Paris to get married and start a new life. As an old life of crime catches up to him, he enters the depths of Paris' underground art and spiritual drug scenes to settle a score.
Stumped
Thanks
When filmmaker Will Lautzenheiser's limbs are amputated, his life is derailed and he turns to stand-up comedy as therapy. Meanwhile, a world-famous medical team is performing transplants that restore bodies to unprecedented levels. Despite grave risks, Will agrees to undergo an experimental double-arm transplant in the hope of reclaiming his independence.
The Show About the Show
Tony
Independent Filmmaker Caveh Zahedi is trying to make a television show. He persuades BRIC TV, a Brooklyn non-profit Arts organization, to finance a television show whose premise is that every episode will be about the making of the previous episode. In the process of creating the show, everything can-and does-go wrong. The cast, a who's who of Brooklyn's independent filmmaking community, includes Alex Karpovsky, Eleonore Hendricks, Dustin Defa, and Onur Tukel.
18 Black Girls Ages 1-18 Who Have Arrived at the Singularity and are thus Spiritual Machines: $5 in an Edition of $97 Quadrillion
Director
The above is a performance during which I google the phrase "1 year old black boy" ascending in age to the age of 18. I allow Google's "popular searches" algorithm to predict what comes after the phrase and peruse the results based on what Google thinks I want to search for in a Black boy. The algorithm generates results based on the most popular searches so it can be theorized that the Black boys that the algorithm predicts are the Black boys we are searching for.
Jimi Could Have Fallen from the Sky
Director
This short is the unauthorized, heavily abridged, biographical, visual and supersonic moment about the fact that Johnny Allen Hendrix (aka Jimi Hendrix) knew how to skydive. Set in Seattle where Jimi was born and raised, the film wonders aloud about what this skill meant for the life he went on to lead. Why did he retreat to the sky so quickly before all of us were ready for him to go?
Lost & Found
A look at modern relationships and the many forms they take. Stella and Ian have an unwedding ceremony to honor what they’ve shared coming to an end. This is the catalyst for a group of 30-somethings now forced to examine their own unraveling lives and challenging dreams.
Bet She Looks Like You
Director
About the scientific fact that god looks like Naima.
The Wreck Itself
Two lives intersect in a dream. We have come to explore the wreck, the thing itself, and not the myth.
Ryann Holmes
Executive Producer
A portrait of Ryann Holmes, community organizer and co-founder of bklyn boihood, un/doing and reframing masculinity.
They Charge For The Sun
Screenplay
In a dystopian future where people live nocturnally to avoid the harmful rays of the sun, a young black girl unravels the lie that has kept her and her sister in the dark.
They Charge For The Sun
Director
In a dystopian future where people live nocturnally to avoid the harmful rays of the sun, a young black girl unravels the lie that has kept her and her sister in the dark.
Univitellin
Producer
Marseille, today. Aminata works as a hairdresser in an Afro hairdressing salon, Badara works as mechanic. When they meet, their love story will change their lives.
Univitellin
Director
Marseille, today. Aminata works as a hairdresser in an Afro hairdressing salon, Badara works as mechanic. When they meet, their love story will change their lives.
Univitellin
Writer
Marseille, today. Aminata works as a hairdresser in an Afro hairdressing salon, Badara works as mechanic. When they meet, their love story will change their lives.
18 Black Girls Ages 1-18 Who Have Arrived at the Singularity and are thus Spiritual Machines: $4 in an Edition of $97 Quadrillion
Director
"is a performance during which I google the phrase '1 year old black girl' ascending in age to the age of 18. I allow Google's 'popular searches' algorithm to predict what comes after the phrase and peruse the results based on what Google thinks I want to search for in a Black girl. The algorithm generates results based on the most popular searches so it can be theorized that the Black girls that the algorithm predicts are the Black girls we are searching for." - Terence Nance (https://vimeo.com/177691039)
Women Who Kill
Darren
Morgan and Jean work well together as true crime podcasters because they didn’t work well, at all, as a couple. However, when Morgan strikes up a new relationship with the mysterious Simone, their shared interest turns into suspicion, paranoia, and fear.
18 Black Boys Ages 1-18 Who Have Arrived at the Singularity and are thus Spiritual Machines: $3 in an Edition of $97 Quadrillion
Director
"The above is a performance during which I google the phrase '1 year old black boy' ascending in age to the age of 18. I allow Google's 'popular searches' algorithm to predict what comes after the phrase and peruse the results based on what Google thinks I want to search for in a Black boy. The algorithm generates results based on the most popular searches so it can be theorized that the Black boys that the algorithm predicts are the Black boys we are searching for." - Terence Nance (https://vimeo.com/175594694)
And Nothing Happened
Director of Photography
A young woman dealing with the psychological aftermath of sexual violence shuffles between experiences both mundane and extraordinary as she attempts to leave her New York City apartment.
And Nothing Happened
Executive Producer
A young woman dealing with the psychological aftermath of sexual violence shuffles between experiences both mundane and extraordinary as she attempts to leave her New York City apartment.
Swimming in Your Skin Again
Producer
Drenched in the heat, spirit and landscape of South Florida, Swimming in Your Skin Again celebrates the spiritual feminine and coming of age. Guided by female inspirations we tour the ritual anchorages of life in and around Miami: the Catholic church, the swamp, the backyard, the water.
Swimming in Your Skin Again
Director
Drenched in the heat, spirit and landscape of South Florida, Swimming in Your Skin Again celebrates the spiritual feminine and coming of age. Guided by female inspirations we tour the ritual anchorages of life in and around Miami: the Catholic church, the swamp, the backyard, the water.
18 Black Girls Ages 1-18 Who Have Arrived at the Singularity and are thus Spiritual Machines: $2 in an edition of $97 Quadrillion
Director
"is a performance during which I google the phrase "1 year old black girl" ascending in age to the age of 18. I allow Google's "popular searches" algorithm to predict what comes after the phrase and peruse the results based on what Google thinks I want to search for in a Black girl. The algorithm generates results based on the most popular searches so it can be theorized that the Black girls that the algorithm predicts are the Black girls we are searching for." - Terence Nance. (https://vimeo.com/122993949)
You and I and You
Editor
This hypnotically surreal dance film is set to a single by the psychedelic rock band the Dig.
You and I and You
Writer
This hypnotically surreal dance film is set to a single by the psychedelic rock band the Dig.
You and I and You
Director
This hypnotically surreal dance film is set to a single by the psychedelic rock band the Dig.
The Triptych
Director
Profiles contemporary artists Wangechi Mutu, Barron Claiborne, and Sanford Biggers. Each monologue is a reflection of their life experiences, letting the viewer discover how their observations have shaped the art they create.
House Date
Thanks
Charlie hosts a Jessica at his home hoping to progress their relationship, but the date goes terribly wrong when they are interrupted by an unusual force.
Their Fall Our All
Writer
This dreamlike fusion of political thriller and science-fiction fantasia is set to original music by Beyoncé.
Their Fall Our All
Director
This dreamlike fusion of political thriller and science-fiction fantasia is set to original music by Beyoncé.
18 Black Boys Ages 1-18 Who Have Arrived at the Singularity and are Thus Spiritual Machines: $1 in an edition of $97 Quadrillion
Director
"...during which I google the phrase "1 year old black boy" ascending in age to the age of 18. I allow Google's "popular searches" algorithm to predict what comes after the phrase and peruse the results based on what Google thinks I want to search for in a Black boy. The algorithm generates results based on the most popular searches so it can be theorized that the Black boys that the algorithm predicts are the Black boys we are searching for." - Terence Nance
Evolution of a Criminal
Title Designer
In 1997, 17-year old Darius Clark Monroe robbed a bank and went to prison for it; then he went to NYU film school and made this movie about his life. The movie presents itself as an act of atonement, and an attempt by Monroe to understand himself and the social forces that drove him to a life of crime. Executive produced by Spike Lee, who was one of Monroe's professors at NYU.
Sweet Honey Chile'
Title Designer
A unique young boy goes on a spiritual journey while honoring his late grandfather with the help of a mystical neighbor. Coco Monroe, Marnye Young, Willie Minor and Dean Schambach star in this short film.
Adventures of Christopher Bosh in the Multiverse
Christopher Bosh / Star Prince Akilobataar
'Adventures of Christopher Bosh in the Multiverse' is the true story behind the notorious Miami face-eating cannibal and how the Miami Heat won the NBA title in 2012 despite one of their star players being an interstellar prince who was called away to do battle with evil foes bent on finally making the Internet completely useless.
Moonrising
Writer
Extra-celestial beings escape the vagabondary bound to their psyche on foot. Short film by Terence Nance, with music by Sanford Biggers’ concept band Moon Medicine who have been described as “a remedy for saddity, an anecdote for the overly analytic. A balm for the phases, a lunar liniment.”
Frenel: A Milliner
Writer
A Short film about a contemporary milliner in NYC.
Frenel: A Milliner
Director
A Short film about a contemporary milliner in NYC.
Moonrising
Director
Extra-celestial beings escape the vagabondary bound to their psyche on foot. Short film by Terence Nance, with music by Sanford Biggers’ concept band Moon Medicine who have been described as “a remedy for saddity, an anecdote for the overly analytic. A balm for the phases, a lunar liniment.”
Sleep
Graphic Designer
Rashad manipulates his kid brother into leaving for school early on the one morning that changes the rest of their lives.
An Oversimplification of Her Beauty
Animation
A quixotic artist hypothesizes about why he feels bad when a mystery girl stands him up. The event prompts him to ask: what's the content of a momentary feeling? Is it the sum of your experiences? And perhaps more importantly, are your experiences the sum of you?
An Oversimplification of Her Beauty
Screenplay
A quixotic artist hypothesizes about why he feels bad when a mystery girl stands him up. The event prompts him to ask: what's the content of a momentary feeling? Is it the sum of your experiences? And perhaps more importantly, are your experiences the sum of you?
An Oversimplification of Her Beauty
Editor
A quixotic artist hypothesizes about why he feels bad when a mystery girl stands him up. The event prompts him to ask: what's the content of a momentary feeling? Is it the sum of your experiences? And perhaps more importantly, are your experiences the sum of you?
An Oversimplification of Her Beauty
Producer
A quixotic artist hypothesizes about why he feels bad when a mystery girl stands him up. The event prompts him to ask: what's the content of a momentary feeling? Is it the sum of your experiences? And perhaps more importantly, are your experiences the sum of you?
An Oversimplification of Her Beauty
A quixotic artist hypothesizes about why he feels bad when a mystery girl stands him up. The event prompts him to ask: what's the content of a momentary feeling? Is it the sum of your experiences? And perhaps more importantly, are your experiences the sum of you?
An Oversimplification of Her Beauty
Director
A quixotic artist hypothesizes about why he feels bad when a mystery girl stands him up. The event prompts him to ask: what's the content of a momentary feeling? Is it the sum of your experiences? And perhaps more importantly, are your experiences the sum of you?
Everything Absolutely
Director
Everything Absolutely follows a lady out on a date with a guy. A poster, parents, and pesto all somehow find its way into this epic & intimate journey.
Native Sun
Producer
Mumin, a precocious young boy, makes the long trip to Accra from his home in Ghana’s rural northern region. He leaves having just experienced his mothers death, her last words to him a directive to travel to Accra and find the father he has never met. Along the journey he experiences Ghana as only a child can and in so doing expands our view of what the country is and what it will be.
Native Sun
Director
Mumin, a precocious young boy, makes the long trip to Accra from his home in Ghana’s rural northern region. He leaves having just experienced his mothers death, her last words to him a directive to travel to Accra and find the father he has never met. Along the journey he experiences Ghana as only a child can and in so doing expands our view of what the country is and what it will be.
Clap One Day
Director
The Feeling You Get
Production Design
Something To Believe In
Editor
Directed by Terence Nance, the film addresses the detachment we all battle, when faced with the the world's overwhelming issues. "It's hard to think about all the problems in the world without getting a little overwhelmed. So, a lot of times we just ignore things. I think Africa has suffered a lot because people choose to remain ignorant, rather than address the issues that are right in front of our faces," Blitz said.
Something To Believe In
Screenplay
Directed by Terence Nance, the film addresses the detachment we all battle, when faced with the the world's overwhelming issues. "It's hard to think about all the problems in the world without getting a little overwhelmed. So, a lot of times we just ignore things. I think Africa has suffered a lot because people choose to remain ignorant, rather than address the issues that are right in front of our faces," Blitz said.
Something To Believe In
Director
Directed by Terence Nance, the film addresses the detachment we all battle, when faced with the the world's overwhelming issues. "It's hard to think about all the problems in the world without getting a little overwhelmed. So, a lot of times we just ignore things. I think Africa has suffered a lot because people choose to remain ignorant, rather than address the issues that are right in front of our faces," Blitz said.
How Would You Feel?
Editor
A look at the deep-seated roots of our feelings.
How Would You Feel?
Original Music Composer
A look at the deep-seated roots of our feelings.
How Would You Feel?
Producer
A look at the deep-seated roots of our feelings.
How Would You Feel?
Screenplay
A look at the deep-seated roots of our feelings.
How Would You Feel?
Director
A look at the deep-seated roots of our feelings.
No Ward
Publicist
No Ward is a short documentary about the forced migration of New Orleans residents to cities in Texas. The film juxtaposes the migrations that occurred as a result of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and Hurricane Gustav in 2008.
No Ward
Director of Photography
No Ward is a short documentary about the forced migration of New Orleans residents to cities in Texas. The film juxtaposes the migrations that occurred as a result of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and Hurricane Gustav in 2008.
No Ward
Editor
No Ward is a short documentary about the forced migration of New Orleans residents to cities in Texas. The film juxtaposes the migrations that occurred as a result of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and Hurricane Gustav in 2008.
No Ward
Producer
No Ward is a short documentary about the forced migration of New Orleans residents to cities in Texas. The film juxtaposes the migrations that occurred as a result of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and Hurricane Gustav in 2008.
No Ward
Director
No Ward is a short documentary about the forced migration of New Orleans residents to cities in Texas. The film juxtaposes the migrations that occurred as a result of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and Hurricane Gustav in 2008.
Word?! I Didn't Know (__) Could Get Down Like That!
Editor
African Booty Scratcher
Music
Prom nears and things seem to be spiraling out of control for the typically composed Isatu. In this coming of age story, West African tradition conflicts with American idealism as Isatu is forced to reassess her idea of the perfect dress.
African Booty Scratcher
Lance
Prom nears and things seem to be spiraling out of control for the typically composed Isatu. In this coming of age story, West African tradition conflicts with American idealism as Isatu is forced to reassess her idea of the perfect dress.