FILM REVIEW: So Amazing: Dawn Porter Brings Luther Vandross to Life in New Doc

Ain’t nothing perfect in this world other than Jesus and Luther Vandross’s first album.” – Ruby (Jenifer Lewis), Black-ish In the world of documentary filmmaking, few names shine as brightly as Dawn Porter. Known for her poignant explorations of political and social issues (Good Trouble, Power of the Dream, Gideon’s Army), Porter has taken a bold step into the realm of music documentaries with her latest film, Luther: Never Too Much, which celebrates the life and legacy of legendary singer Luther Vandross. In a recent interview, Porter discussed her motivations for choosing Vandross as her subject, the emotional journey of making the documentary, and her hopes for what audiences will take away from the film. When asked why she chose to focus on Luther Vandross, Porter explained her passion for telling stories that resonate with themes of joy and creativity. “I do a lot of political films and films about injustice,” she noted. “But with Luther, he seems joyous. I wanted to stretch myself and explore a music documentary for the first time.” The abundance of archival materials available through Sony made the project irresistible. “We had so many different materials to work with; it was heavenly for a documentary...