Shannon Alexander, who directed It’s Coming, makes a documentary that pulls viewers into the scary experiences of Ashley Roland-White and her family. The film explores Ashley, a mother of five, and her worsening experiences with supernatural beings in their Brooklyn home. In addition to creating a tense conflict, this narrative structure encourages in-depth reflection on beliefs and family ties.
Alexander uses a raw, personal style and avoids flashy looks in favor of an observed style that makes the work more real. The film keeps a tight pace for its 90 minutes, sometimes lulling us to sleep before revealing troubling things.
What makes it stand out is the nonlinear storytelling, which echoes the narrative ideas of filmmakers like Noah Baumbach. The editing combines honest interviews with creepy scenes, forcing viewers to confront their own supernatural beliefs. This method also serves as a powerful critique of family trauma and the stigma surrounding mental health, especially in African American neighborhoods.
The handheld camera work provides an immersive visual experience, allowing the story’s emotional core to resonate. This raw style fits with the philosophy of independent film, which prioritizes emotional depth over flashy style. When combined with ominous sound design, It’s Coming becomes a profound study of family and the unseen struggles that shape our lives.
Character Exploration: Ashley and Her Family
There is a mother named Ashley Roland-White at the center of the book It’s Coming. Since she was a child, her life has been strange and supernatural. Ashley’s experiences have shaped her worldview and forged a strong link to the unseen since her first encounter with a ghostly figure at 11.
As the main character, she shows strength and weakness as she deals with the complexities of having five children and a growing paranormal presence in their Brooklyn home. She wants to share her story because she has a strong maternal urge to protect her children from the bad things she thinks are coming into their lives. This urgency adds a moving layer to her narrative, reflecting larger societal worries about mental health and the shame people often face when they talk about their experiences.
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Ashley speaks freely about her fear of being dismissed as “crazy,” which is especially true for her as a Black woman in a society that frequently ignores such voices. The documentary does a great job of showing Ashley’s honesty. Because of its cultural background, the film becomes a commentary on belief and doubt. Ashley’s battle is not just personal; it resonates with many people who have weighted their truths pushed down or dismissed.
Ashley’s children, especially Javier, add a spooky element to the film with their carefree attitude toward the ghosts. When Javier talks to an entity he affectionately calls “Kitty,” these conversations show a disturbing mix of innocence and awareness at such a young age. The sincerity of his words, like the fact that he said he might die, shows how hard these experiences are on them emotionally. The film shows their points of view in a way that feels both unsettling and relatable, allowing viewers to witness how supernatural events affected their childhoods significantly.
It’s Coming reflects generational dynamics and explores the dynamics of a family facing the unknown. We are forced to confront our perceptions of reality by the children’s acceptance of the paranormal as a part of their daily lives. The film masterfully navigates these complex themes by making the Roland-White family’s story an interesting exploration of fear, belief, and the bonds that support us in the face of the unfathomable.
The Supernatural Experience
The supernatural events in It’s Coming are more than just plot devices; they form the basis of the family’s daily reality. From whispering voices to shadowy figures hiding in the corners of their Brooklyn home, Ashley Roland-White and her children experience a variety of unsettling phenomena that intensify over time. Each meeting feels real and upsetting, clearly showing a family struggling with things they can’t see or fully understand.
In particular, Javier’s exchanges with “Kitty,” a ghost he thinks of as a friend, show how their lives are a scary mix of innocence and fear. The depth of their belief is revealed by times like Ashley’s frantic EVP sessions, where she tries to talk to the spirits. They navigate this strange existence with a mixture of curiosity and fear.
The way that this documentary encourages viewers to consider the nature of these experiences is what makes it so interesting. Instead of giving us answers immediately, the film immerses us in the Roland-White family’s reality and forces us to confront our beliefs about the supernatural.
There is a feeling of lingering unease because there aren’t any typical horror tropes like jump scares or overt exaggeration. This decision reflects a larger cultural trend toward more complex storytelling, reminiscent of the understated tension in French New Wave movies, where the emphasis frequently lies on character and spiritual questions rather than spectacle.
The haunting also significantly affects the family’s daily life, influencing their relationships and emotional states. The documentary shows the delicate balance between a mother’s need to protect her children from the paranormal and her children’s growing disinterest.
In the face of ongoing trauma, this dynamic is especially striking because it shows how the extraordinary can become the everyday. The raw, unpolished look of the film amplifies the experience, allowing viewers to feel the weight of each moment. We feel like we’re in their world because of the handheld camerawork and dramatic sound design. This feeling lasts long after the credits roll.
It’s Coming challenges us to reconsider what is real and what lies beyond our understanding in this way that it not only explores the supernatural but also serves as a mirror reflecting our beliefs and fears.
Emotional Depth and Psychological Themes
It’s Coming is primarily about the emotional landscape of the Roland-White family and the supernatural occurrences that plague them. We learn much about fear, worry, and strength through Ashley’s story. As she tries to make sense of her long-term paranormal experiences, it becomes clear that they are more than just ghostly intrusions; they are also a reflection of her mental health problems.
Her ability to keep a sense of normalcy for her children is severely hampered by the stress of living in a haunted environment. You can feel how heavy this emotional burden is; Ashley’s honest talks about her fears and the shame surrounding mental health make us deeply understand her, and they remind us of how society often shuts down people with unusual experiences.
The film skillfully shows how the supernatural amplifies existing family dynamics, capturing the tension within the family. The presence of spirits adds a new dimension of complexity to their relationships, turning everyday moments into scenes of palpable anxiety. This interaction between the supernatural and the emotional mirrors the way many families navigate trauma, making their problems resonate on a universal level.
One person who shows the innocence and burden of these experiences is Javier. His shocking statements, like the fact that he casually accepted Kitty as a friend, show a deeply unsettling contrast between the wonder of childhood and the grim knowledge of death. He expresses fears that most children are happily unaware of at such a young age, which adds a haunting depth to his character. His point of view encourages viewers to reflect on the psychological repercussions of growing up in a place where the extraordinary becomes an everyday reality.
The film’s visual and auditory aspects do a great job of showing this tension between innocence and burden. The steady camerawork adds a personal touch, allowing us to feel the emotional weight of each moment. The film creates a sensory experience that strengthens our connection to the Roland-White family’s plight, and it does so with an atmospheric sound design that amplifies the eerie themes.
It’s Coming offers a moving commentary on mental health, family ties, and the emotional cost of facing the unknown, transcending mere horror. It makes us think about how our perceptions of reality affect our understanding of the supernatural and the profound challenges we all face.
Directorial Style and Cinematic Techniques
Sheena Alexander’s direction in It’s Coming is a lesson in subtlety and control, and it does a great job of pulling viewers into the scary world of the Roland-White family. His use of a handheld camera gives the film an intimate and raw look that brings us closer to the emotional pain Ashley and her children experience.
This method increases the documentary’s authenticity by making each moment feel natural and unplanned. The audience can witness the family’s interactions in their home thanks to the observational footage, which combines the ordinary with the extraordinary and obfuscates the distinction between reality and the supernatural.
Alexander’s voice, frequently heard off-camera, adds to the narrative. A sense of confidence and openness is fostered by his gentle questioning, which encourages Ashley and her children to open up about their experiences.
This method mimics the chatty style of filmmakers like Agnès Varda, who frequently let their subjects speak freely, allowing the story to develop naturally. Alexander makes room for the Roland-White family’s feelings to take center stage by taking a step back. This allows viewers to follow their trip without being distracted by obvious manipulation or direction.
This careful balance between presence and absence increases the film’s emotional depth. Alexander’s understated style reflects the subjects at hand—belief, fear, and family dynamics—allowing the audience to reflect on their own perceptions of the supernatural and the psychological weight carried by those who experience it. As a moving study of human experience in the face of the unfathomable, the documentary feels personal and universal.
Themes of Generational Trauma and Belief
It’s Coming goes into great detail about how Ashley Roland-White’s experiences have affected her culture and how they fit into the bigger picture of family trauma. Ashley’s experiences with the supernatural are more than just personal anecdotes; they resonate with a family background of problems and pressures from society.
This look at trauma, especially in the African American community, shows how experiences from the past can physically and figuratively haunt the present. Ashley’s story is a reflection of many people who navigate the complexities of inherited trauma, and the film beautifully shows how the supernatural serves as a vehicle for expressing unprocessed pain and fear.
As the film deals with the tension between faith and skepticism, belief systems are at the heart of the narrative. Ashley’s unwavering belief in the existence of these supernatural entities challenges viewers to reconsider their beliefs. The documentary encourages us to reflect on how societal views frequently ignore or make senseless experiences.
This is especially important in today’s world, where talks about mental health and spirituality are becoming more common. Their experiences serve as a model for a cultural conversation about what it means to believe in the extraordinary in a world that frequently values reason. The Roland-White family’s struggles show a larger societal anxiety about the unseen.
It’s Coming serves as a cultural artifact that speaks to the complexities of belief, trauma, and the human experience by weaving these themes together and focusing on the individual narrative of the Roland-White family. It encourages a renewed understanding of how we deal with the unexplainable in our lives by forcing us to confront the often uncomfortable intersections of personal and collective histories.
The Review
It’s Coming
There is a lot of emotional turmoil in the Roland-White family, and It's Coming is a haunting and deeply moving look at how trauma and belief can be passed down from generation to generation. Shannon Alexander's intimate style as a director and her raw, real storytelling encourages viewers to confront their perceptions of the supernatural and mental health issues. More than just a ghost story, the film's moving commentary on social worries adds depth. It is a powerful reflection of the unseen battles we all face.
PROS
- Offers a poignant exploration of generational trauma and mental health.
- Captures the Roland-White family’s experiences with raw honesty.
- Effective use of handheld camera work enhances intimacy.
- Engages with contemporary discussions on belief and skepticism.
- Ashley and her children are portrayed with depth and complexity.
CONS
- Some viewers may find the slower moments drag.
- The lack of clear resolutions may frustrate those seeking traditional narratives.
- Focuses primarily on one family, potentially alienating broader audience connections.
