 Growing Down tells the story of a young black man named Jerome. He works an hourly job and shares an apartment with his girlfriend of some time, who happens to be white. His girlfriend s parents have disapproved of the relationship from the start; seemingly phoning to say so every time Jerome comes home from work. It becomes obvious he s unfulfilled after running into Phil, an old friend of his from school. Jerome discovers Phil has landed a new job: executive in the same office where Jerome sorts mail. After being told at a party that night that he "doesn t talk like any black guy I ever met" he goes home without his girlfriend to mull things over. Realizing that no one s going to live his life for him he quits his job and puts his energy toward the only thing that meant anything: film. In the course of a day he cuts together old 8mm into a cathartic release of emotional history; freeing him to be the person he so desperately needs to be. The film ends with a powerful 8mm sequence Jerome screens for his girlfriend; saying for him what he could never say.