Screened at the Sundance Film Festival, it’s hard to tell what
Ailey is trying to do. For starters, it’s described as a “portrait” of its namesake on IMDB, but it’s closer to a tribute to him instead. In fact, it even opens with a clip from
Cicely Tyson’s speech honoring Ailey at the Kennedy Center in 1988, when he was awarded for his lifetime contribution to American culture. Perhaps unbeknownst to the audience at this point in the film, this moment sets the tone for what’s to come.
While Wignot seems to obligatorily include audio interviews and other archival footage of Ailey taking us through his biographical journey, she offers little exposition of his words. For example, when he talks about being raised by a single mother in Texas in the 1930s, and plainly states that he had no relationship with his father, there is no one from his personal life—friends? Family members?—also featured in the film that could ground his statements. As a result, it feels immediately hollow. Who is this nebulous voice, more seen than heard, that bears the film’s name?