Native Son (2010) User Reviews

The quest for intimacy

[metalmistress_85 · 8/10 · 29 June 2011]

Scott Graham's film packs in its small duration a tremendous lot of substance. Be not deterred by the 19 minute short-film because the director made sure every single second counts in his depiction of the need for intimacy.

In a small village, a potato farmer named John suffocates in his redundant and ultimately empty daily activities. As he goes about his duties one night, an encounter with a woman's dead body changes him. With her corps, he experiences intimacy as he never had and lives to suffer the consequences.

Graham takes his time in emphasizing every touch, gaze, movement between John and his dead beloved, bordering on the grotesque. And yet, irrelevant of its obscenity, the character and the incident become more and more metaphoric. The rough environment John lives in contrasts beautifully with the softness of his private moments and the hardships of his work are mirrored in his inner world as well...

These 19 minutes personally blew me away. They seem to translate either a feeling of unilateral affection and desire or a deep unintelligible necrophiliac fantasy. Regardless of the interpretation, Who is Scott Graham (I later answered this of course) and when is he releasing another film?

Native Son (2010)

[carpenterB · 9/10 · 22 July 2013]

MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS; IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE FILM, YOU ARE CAUTIONED BEFORE READING FURTHER. THIS IS A FILM WORTH SEEING.

John is not unhappy with his work, bleak as it may be, because it's all he has or knows. Life is pretty bleak because it's not much of a life filling time with picking potatoes, and he is mostly ignored. John does not connect with people. John is awkward, and his loneliness is a cycle of awkwardness leading to isolation. And he is in pain.

You feel for John -- his isolation and later decision. You have to surmise for yourself what caused John's isolation from his fellow townspeople since the writer/director does not give you clues about his past, except for a badly failed relationship whose wound he picks at, further making him disliked. He is wounded. And his awkwardness stands out as much as he feels it does. He is skittish around people, and it shows. I saw a lot of blame -- John has lived a life of feeling blamed, so now he blames himself before anyone else can.

And then a chance event while driving home one night presents John with an unexpected event, one not of his making -- but one that presents him with choices. He can, and does, make the some right decisions, until he suddenly chooses a different path because of another unexpected reaction.

As always, Sean Harris plays John with humanity and sympathy (and, yes, tenderness), despite his choice. I saw John as a victim of his own desperation, rather than having harbored perversions.

Evokes Powerful Emotions

[maybaby47 · 10/10 · 23 July 2013]

This review may contain spoilers. This film, though only 19 minutes long, stays with you a long time. I think this is because it uses powerful images and little dialog. Scott Graham manages to evoke powerful emotions with his visuals and Sean Harris, as always, does a masterful job of conveying a full range of emotions without words. The film builds up to its climax beautifully and by the time Graham and Sean bring us to the scenes in the barn we are prepared for what happens because they have evoked in us sympathy for John and his isolation and the desperation that drives him to cross the line. I found this film very moving. Every image and scene is beautifully photographed which heightens the poignancy, the loneliness and quiet desperation of John. You really feel his need for human contact. The most powerful scene is the one in the truck, where John is trying not to give in to tears after trying to see his old girlfriend. It is done with such restraint, no over-acting here, just real human emotion, all physical, held in check and very moving. This is an example of a perfect short film. It is one of my favorite Sean Harris films and I believe one of his best performances. It is beautiful work by the director, Scott Graham and actor, Sean Harris.