Reel Review from SXSW 2025: H.E.R. Marks History And Curtis Mayfield’s Place In It
It was an Oscar speech in 2021 that opened doors for Grammy and Oscar award-winning musician H.E.R. to make her directorial debut in the feature documentary The Making of Curtis Mayfield, which premiered at SXSW 2025. In her speech, she thanks her father for “all those days of listening to Sly & The Family Stone and Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye,” claiming “they really paid off.”
But it’s what she says after that tells us what story DIRECTHER would be telling: “I believe we have an opportunity and a responsibility to tell the truth and to write history the way that it was and how it connects us to today.” The documentary is a music-forward exploration of Mayfield’s art, taking us through some of his greatest hits—not just analyzing his technical skills or fame, but how his musical genius influenced and continues to create today’s sound.
Peter Afterman, who has produced documentaries for Tom Petty and Joan Jett, sought out H.E.R.—and you have to ask, why? To get a big name attached to the project? To ride the wave of her Oscar speech? But even after that speech, the headlines did not acknowledge her mentioning Mayfield among the greats. And that’s the devastating truth that leads this film and answers the question: why her (actually)? Mayfield is—and should be—thought of as one of the pillars of the music industry, yet he doesn’t get the credit he earned. Afterman’s choice to have H.E.R. as the director shows true vision and refinement, selecting someone who not only understands the art but is connected to Mayfield by the thing he knew defined him: music. Due to that fact, this documentary had a heavier lift, as it required two things—telling Mayfield’s story and teaching the world about his legacy and impact. In other words: not just selling the project, but the subject.
However, it’s also this complication that helps this documentary stand apart from others. H.E.R. makes a decision early on in the film that this will focus on who Mayfield was as a change-maker and why that matters today. We get a spark notes version of his early life, touching on his upbringing, how he was influenced by the church—but the narrative quickly directs us to his journey through music. So if you’re asking “why Curtis Mayfield,” here’s a 1 hour and 37-minute long answer. We aren’t dragged through overly invasive territory. He shared himself with the world through music till the very end—and that’s what this film centers in on. There’s an argument to be made here, however: is this what the documentary promises?
The title The Making of Curtis Mayfield could be seen as a misdirect, but it also is honest about its subject. Curtis Mayfield was quite literally a part of writing history. Starting his career with the Motown soul group The Impressions, their 1965 single “People Get Ready” was named the unofficial civil rights anthem by Martin Luther King Jr., eventually becoming a solo act and continuing to make music about social justice, civil rights, love—and creating benchmark classics like the 1972 movie soundtrack Superfly, which Dr. Dre names as one of his favorite albums of all time. Even after an accident left him paralyzed, he recorded an entire album, The New World Order, released in 1996. H.E.R.’s decision to focus on his musical impact was beautifully intentional, in a way that honors who Mayfield was. His art is how he made a difference, and this film offers insight into his technical genius—and as H.E.R. puts it, how “gangsta” he was. If you learn nothing else from this film, take away that there is no Curtis Mayfield without music, and music wouldn’t be what it is today without Mayfield.
Most of the film does have us in different studios, with testimonies from Mary J. Blige, Tom Morello, John Legend, Stephen Marley, and Dr. Dre. Admittedly, Dr. Dre had the most screen time, but he serves his purpose—as you get to witness this rarely nerdy, musical version of him that stands on its own as evidence of Mayfield’s impact. The reactions of these music leaders—whether deeply emotional or childlike in excitement—are proof of Mayfield’s trajectory and what his effortless craft morphed into for other artists.
Passion drives this documentary beautifully and it pushes this film over the edge. H.E.R.’s interviews are fresh, free-flowing, and unapologetically enthusiastic—even in the moments with just her and her guitar, offering affection and heart. This is delivery on her promise to write history the way it happened—choosing to step away from the typical documentary and tell the story of Curtis Mayfield through his art. This is your introduction to Curtis Mayfield, not your farewell.
