Inez De La Paz, played by Teyana Taylor, kidnaps six-year-old Terry, played by Aaron Kingsley Adetola, out of the foster care system. She committed the bold and one last act, convinced it’s a necessary crime on her path to redemption. Holding onto their secret and each other, mother and son set out to reclaim their home and their identity. They hope they’ll maintain stability in a rapidly changing New York City.

Inez De La Paz is an orphan, shuffled through New York’s foster care system and nurtured by the streets. She lives a spectrum of emotions, from volatile, impulsive, and unpredictable to deeply caring, determined and fiercely loyal. At her core, she’s a survivor.  

The formidable character is the central presence in writer-director A.V. Rockwell’s impressive feature film debut A Thousand to One. The story traces Inez’s struggle as an inner-city woman of color. She navigates the responsibilities of motherhood and wrestles with the secrets of her past. Over two decades, the intimate drama unfolds. Inez attempts to create a better life for herself and six-year-old Terry. 

Making the impulsive decision to kidnap the boy from his foster home, Inez flees with him to Harlem. She does whatever she can to build a safe and stable home there. Still, New York City rapidly changes all around them.  

Inez and Terry mature and develop. Societal changes affect them in countless ways. Their colorful neighborhood becomes unrecognizable and transforms them into outsiders in the community. They can no longer call it home. 

Rockwell grew up in Queens, New York and has sought to speak of the gentrification she witnessed by centering the city close to her heart as part of her identity.

Her observations of mother and son relationships inspired her to shape the screenplay. Through Inez, she wanted to shine a light on women of color. Women faced unimaginable adversity yet persevered, undaunted, and committed to caring for the people they love. Yet society didn’t always see or acknowledge their efforts. “Inez and her experiences were based on a combination of different women who have been in my life,” Rockwell says. “She’s also the type of heroine I wanted to see more of on-screen. I wanted to see a woman of color who lives life on her own terms, no matter what society throws at her.”

Taylor is a superstar R&B performer and choreographer who has rocketed to a global celebrity after working with mega-selling artists, including Beyoncé. 

Taylor choreographed the singer’s “Ring the Alarm” video when she was just 15 years old and subsequently directed many of her music videos while continuing to work with other artists. More recently, she branched into acting, appearing in such films as the 2021 comedy Coming 2 America. 

Searching for a young actor to play opposite Taylor as six-year-old Terry, the casting director landed on Aaron Kingsley Adetola. He impressed Rockwell with how well Adetola took direction and the subtlety of his creative choices.“I thought Aaron was right because of his physical likeness to what I had in mind,” says the filmmaker. “He’s really smart and intentional when it comes to crafting his performance.” Aven Courtney plays him at age 13, while Josiah Cross plays the character at 17.

Inez De La Paz, played by Teyana Taylor, kidnaps six-year-old Terry, played by Aaron Kingsley Adetola, out of the foster care system. She committed the bold and one last act, convinced it’s a necessary crime on her path to redemption. Holding onto their secret and each other, mother and son set out to reclaim their home and their identity. They hope they’ll maintain stability in a rapidly changing New York City.