By Geno McGahee
John McNaughton is back, directing THE HARVEST, available on VOD and at the IFC Center on April 10th. Known mostly for his 1986 classic “HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER,” McNaughton has proven he has not missed a step with this new IFC production. Dark and intense, THE HARVEST is a standout with great performances and one of the best villains I’ve seen since FUNNY GAMES.
Andy (Charlie Tahan) is dying. He is wheelchair-bound and home-schooled…isolated from the world by his parents. His mother, Katherine (Samantha Morton) is cruel and aggressive and his father, Richard (Michael Shannon), is passive and has apparent compassion. The aggression is pointed toward Andy. Katherine is verbally and physically abusive toward her son. Morton plays this role so incredibly well, becoming very easy to hate.
Young Maryann (Natasha Calis) moves to town. She is living with her grandparents and is a relative outcast. She stumbles upon the house of Andy and sees him staring out the window. They become friends and she begins climbing into the house and playing video games with Andy, but that quickly comes to an end when Katherine comes home. Katherine lashes out at Maryann and becomes more aggressive toward Andy. This weighs heavily on the mind of Richard, but he is also a target for his wife’s rage, which keeps him from standing up to her.
Maryann is persistent and continues to sneak in, leading to a shocking discovery. This is one of the movie moments that everyone should experience. The minute that she finds out what Katherine and Richard are hiding, this movie kicks into high gear. It’s one of those kids vs. adults movies where the children have a hard time convincing other adults that they are telling the truth. The only person that listens to Maryann, partially, is her grandfather (Peter Fonda). He doesn’t believe her outlandish claims, but he supports her and tells her to do what she thinks is right and that includes breaking the rules. She must now battle the adults in a great final showdown.
THE HARVEST is fantastic. Stephen Lancellotti wrote a great story with twists and turns that will keep the viewer on the edge of their seat. The cast is amazing. I don’t think that this film could have done any better with the cast. Great credit has to be given to Samantha Morton. She did so well that I am going to have a hard time liking her in any other role that she is in. That little smirk she had whenever she got her way was so effective. She deserves a lot of credit for her performance. Amazing.
Michael Shannon, as usual, delivers. His inner struggle in this film is often said without a word and you take that ride with him. At times, you support him. At times, you want him to fry with his wife. It is an amazing performance by Shannon. The children, Natasha Calis and Charlie Tahan were also great choices and played off each other very well. Calis was the tough rebel and Tahan was the weak kid that had inner strength he didn’t know existed. This cast was just perfect.
THE HARVEST is an amazing film. It is one of the most intense and interesting flicks that I have seen in some time. I highly recommend it!
Rating: 9/10
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