Native Son

Native Son is a film about a man desperate for human contact, and the lengths he will go to, to get something like it.

John is an exhausted farm labourer in a small rural village - a potato picker, amongst dozens of others. He's a loner, an outsider and a failed family man. The other locals can barely stand him - knocking over a pint very nearly leads to bloodshed. Without falling into spoiler territory, he gets into a situation where he can at least try to approximate human contact. It doesn't go well.

This is a wonderfully acted picture - for much of it Sean Harris does some remarkable heavy lifting. After being chased off by his ex-wife, he's sitting in his car, willing himself not to break down weeping. If cinema acting truly allows an actor to simply be observed in his own thoughts, then this is one of my favourite performances of the year - it made me ill to the pit of my stomach, both in revulsion and empathy.

This is a remarkable picture, skillfully and sensitively directed.