SOUTH LONDON – BAFTA-winning filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr. has unveiled his latest cinematic endeavor, Spirit, a rhythmic and deeply textured short film that serves as a love letter to South London. Created in close collaboration with multi-instrumentalist cktrl (Bradley Miller) and commissioned by WePresent, the film acts as a visual companion to cktrl’s 2026 album of the same name. Shot on 16mm film, the project eschews traditional narrative spectacle in favor of "extraordinarily ordinary" moments, documenting the lived experiences of the South London diaspora with a focus on intimacy, heritage, and the quiet rituals of home.
The film establishes its tone through a lens of spiritual reflection, opening with a poignant scene of a man offering a heartfelt prayer. This invocation for safety and protection for a young man traveling back to London serves as a grounded anchor for the film's themes of belonging and communal guardianship. As the soaring strings of cktrl’s score swell, Davies Jr. transitions into a series of vibrant montage sequences that capture the specific "warmth and heat" of daily life in boroughs like Lewisham and Southwark. These vignettes elevate the mundane—from shared jokes between family members to the steady pulse of the neighborhood—into something monumental.
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Beyond the visual rhythms, Spirit delves into the psychological landscape of its protagonists through a series of raw, personal discussions. In a departure from the "Black excellence" or "Black trauma" tropes often found in mainstream media, the film allows space for intimate conversations between friends about the complexities of modern life. These dialogues touch on struggles with frustration and depression, as well as the quiet anxiety of navigating different paths while remaining tethered to one’s origins. By centering these "day one" relationships, Davies Jr. highlights the support systems that function as the backbone of the community.
The film concludes on a reflective note, capturing a moment of relaxation and mutual respect that underscores the solidarity shared between the characters. This final sequence reinforces the film’s guiding principle: that the diaspora has stories to tell that exist outside of the usual spectacle. As Spirit begins its global rollout on digital platforms this March, it stands as a testament to the "alchemy of magic" found in the everyday, proving that for Davies Jr. and cktrl, home is not just a location, but a shared frequency of resilience and connection.
