The Harvest (2013)

A couple who keeps their sick son in a secluded environment find their controlled lives challenged by a young girl who moves in next door.

Director:

John McNaughton

Writer:

Stephen Lancellotti

Stars:

Samantha Morton, Michael Shannon, Natasha Calis

1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Samantha Morton	...	Katherine
Michael Shannon	...	Richard
Natasha Calis	...	Maryann
Charlie Tahan	...	Andy
Peter Fonda	...	Grandfather
Leslie Lyles	...	Grandmother
Meadow Williams	...	Sandra
Journey Smith	...	Pitcher (as Journey Alphonso Smith)
Amina Robinson	...	Pitcher's Mom
Nolan Lyons	...	The Boy
Maria Farrow	...	Nurse 1
Ashley Ingram	...	Nurse 2
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gavin Wurtzburger	...	Catcher (opening scene)

Storyline

The girl Maryann has just moved to the house of her Grandfather and Grandmother in the countryside after losing her parents. She is lonely and misses her former friends and decides to wander around the area. She finds the secluded boy Andy, who lives alone with his mother, the surgeon Dr. Katherine Young, and his father, the nurse Richard Young, in an isolated house. They immediately befriend each other and she enters in his room through the window to play video-game with him since Andy depends on a wheelchair to locomote. On the next day, Maryann visits her new friend again and Richard let her in to play with Andy. On the next day, Katherine does not allow Maryann to visit her son and she goes to the house of her grandparents to forbid Maryann to visit her son. However Maryann insists on visiting Andy when his parents are absent; out of the blue, they return and Maryann is trapped inside the house. She goes to the basement expecting to find a way out and stumbles with a dark secret. ...

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Plot Keywords:

secret | two word title | marital problem | boy girl friendship | doctor | 

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Taglines:

First the Fall, then The Harvest.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Katherine races into to the burning basement, part of the ceiling collapses upon her. This mirrors a real event where part of the ceiling at Samantha Morton's London home collapsed on her.

User Reviews

Tense and uncomfortable, but good

I have watched this one a couple of times to make sure I felt about it the way I did the first time I watched it, and I do. It's a slow-building drama with a lot of quiet dialog, but that makes Samantha Morton's outbursts that much more jarring and intense. Michael Shannon is able to convey a lot of emotion with very little action, and the child actors in the film do a good job holding their own. I won't give away any plot, as to talk about any of it would lead me down the spoiler path, but if you like a good thriller with a disturbing concept, this is worth a watch (or three).

It's not a "lights off" type of movie, and I wouldn't classify it as horror, but it's a tense thriller in the vein of Fatal Attraction or The Gift. And, it's worth mentioning Samantha Morton again - she plays her role with utter abandon. You believe that she is her character and she's utterly captivating. While she does have shouting and drooling to get her point across, her subtle changes in facial expression and the scariness of her smile is awesome too.

Details

Official Sites:

Elephant Eye Films [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 April 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Harvest

Filming Locations:

New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Living Out Loud Films, Das Films, Elephant Eye Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1