ABOUT
When Venus, a Black violinist struggling with personal and professional loss, accompanies her wife Harley to clear out Harley's family estate, she begins experiencing disturbing visions that pull her into the house’s dark history. As the line between reality and the past blurs, Venus uncovers a terrifying ancestral connection—one that ties her to the home in ways she never imagined.
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The Inheritance serves as a proof of concept film for the narrative feature length film, Wade in the Water.
Characters
Venus – A Black woman in her 30s, struggling with past trauma and feelings of displacement. A former violinist who left her orchestra due to racist mistreatment, Venus is perceptive, strong-willed, but deeply unsettled by the growing horror around her.
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Harley – Venus’ white wife, androgynous and effortlessly soft at first, but as the story progresses, she becomes an ominous presence. Her transformation into an agent of the house’s violent history is subtle yet terrifying.
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Faye – A Black woman from 1855, Venus’ ancestor (or possibly past life). Desperate to save her daughter from enslavement, but ultimately trapped in a horrific fate.
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Martha – Harley’s ancestor, the white woman in the blue petticoat, who embodies the past's violent, oppressive force that still lingers within the house.
The Inheritance is a psychological horror that delves into the complex relationship between women of color and their white female counterparts. At its core, The Inheritance explores how history lingers, shaping the present in ways we often fail to recognize. Venus is haunted not just by a house, but by the generational trauma that binds her to a violent past. As she uncovers buried truths, the film forces us to confront the question: Can we ever truly break free from the past, or does it find new ways to repeat itself?
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The film also examines the violence embedded within white allyship and white feminism. Harley, who begins as a supportive partner, ultimately embodies the very oppression she claims to reject. Her transformation exposes the unsettling reality that progress is often an illusion—especially for Black women. The Inheritance challenges the audience to see history not as something behind us, but as something that continues to haunt, shape, and define the present.
