Love Taps

Directed by Derrick Woodyard

Length: 
13:19    

Producers: 
Tara Sheffer, T. Bankolé

Editor:
 Derrick Woodyard

Cinematographer:
 Sam Motamedi

CALVIN (35), an old-school, tough-love giving Black father, attempts to teach his timid son CJ (11), how to box. Calvin forces him to get into a fighting stance and instructs CJ to hit him. To Calvin’s disappointment, CJ reluctantly throws a weak punch. Calvin tells CJ he, “won’t always be there to protect him”, then says, “if someone hits you, you hit them back”, which is followed by a swift jab to CJ’s stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Calvin then demands that CJ hit him. CJ musters up the strength to hit his father. After taking the blow, Calvin proudly hugs his son while CJ struggles to hold back tears.

Later that day, Calvin, CJ, and Calvin’s friend TOM (33), attempt to fix Calvin’s ‘87 Cadillac Brougham. Their attempt is unsuccessful and Calvin sends CJ inside to get a tool. Tom offers CJ money if he would get him a beer as well. CJ searches through the toolbox but takes the wrong tool. On his way out he grabs the beer for Tom, then the phone starts ringing. He answers and it’s his mother, VALERIE, 35. CJ eagerly asks when his mom is coming back but the conversation is interrupted by his father who enters the home. Calvin takes the phone from CJ and sends him outside. CJ gives one last look as his parents argue over the phone. CJ gives the beer to Tom and receives his money. When Calvin returns CJ asks what his mother said on the phone. Calvin hesitates to answer then tells him that, “everything will be ok”. CJ is nervously unconvinced.

That night, CJ lies in bed reading. Calvin tells CJ he is going to cut his hair the next day. CJ again asks about his mother and Calvin tells him, “you’ll see her soon”. Later that night, CJ is awakened by the sounds of people in the house. He goes to investigate and sees his father lovingly holding hands with an unknown man. Calvin sends CJ back to bed but CJ peeks out his window and sees his father intimately hugging the man. CJ closes the blinds before they can notice and contemplates what he just saw.

The next morning Calvin cuts CJ’s hair. They’re both silent except for the buzzing of the clippers. When Calvin finishes, the two awkwardly lock eyes in the mirror but say nothing. Calvin tells CJ to clean the mess while he makes breakfast. During breakfast, CJ is silent while his father eats. Then, to Calvin’s surprise CJ says, “I won’t tell, if mom comes back”. Calvin is left stunned by CJ’s words.

After breakfast, Calvin and CJ are finally able to get the car working. Calvin asks CJ to get a bucket from inside so they can wash the car. While inside, CJ decides to call his mother. She reveals to him that she isn’t going back to his father. A slow motion sequence of them washing the car ensues as CJ takes in his mother’s words. His father asks CJ for the bucket but CJ violently throws it to the ground. He runs inside with his father chasing after. CJ storms inside and Calvin is able to stop him. CJ calls his father a liar and proceeds to attack him in an emotional outburst. Calvin is able to wrap CJ in his arms as CJ cries.

That evening, Valerie picks up CJ. He enters the back seat and remains silent. His mother looks to him, understanding the hurt he feels. Then, Calvin steps onto the porch. CJ looks to his father. Calvin shows CJ the fighting stance that he showed him previously in an effort to say, “stay strong”. The car drives away as CJ remains silent in the back seat.

African American filmmaker and visual artist, Derrick Woodyard currently is an MFA candidate at NYU Tisch School of the Arts with a focus in Directing and Writing. His commitment to finding truth in his narratives leads him to explore the nuances of his characters through their desires, inner conflicts, and personal relationships. This search for truth is influenced by his lived experiences from which he takes inspiration. His films have investigated stories of internal moral struggles, trials of multiracial familial bonds, and the traumas of parental absence all from the lens of Black characters. He is a recipient of the 2021 Spike Lee Production Award and the Sandra Ifraimova Production Fund. Additionally, Derrick is the 2020 recipient of the Martin Scorsese Young Filmmakers Scholarship, he is the 2020 BAFTA NY HBO Scholar, and is also a recipient of the Peter D. Gould Scholarship and the Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Scholarship.