Courtesy of Playbill
“American Son” is one of the latest original films from streaming giant Netflix. Starring Kerry Washington and Steven Pasquale, the film follows a hysterical African American mother trying to find her missing son. Based on the Broadway play of the same name, “American Son” is about more than just race and racism. Instead, it aims to address, in a real-world scenario, how difficult it is to navigate the world with a heated racial climate.
After Kendra (Washington) pleads with Officer Paul Larkin (Jeremy Jordan), he gives in, sitting her down to get more details about her son. Things take a turn for the worse when he starts to ask questions about prior arrests and whether her son has gold teeth or neck tattoos, implying that he’s a criminal. When Kendra is upset by this, Larkin labels her as a stereotypical “angry black woman.”
The stage is set: there’s a missing teenager, along with a distraught African American mother and her white husband, who have been separated for some time and are riddled with guilt and terror as they demand answers on the location of their son. In most situations, this mixture of characters and context could come off as shallow and slightly controversial, but in “American Son,” it comes off as purposeful due to its aggressive grace.
The small cast consists of parents Kendra and Scott (Pasquale), Officer Paul Larkin and Lieutenant John Stokes (Eugene Lee), who doesn’t make an appearance until the last 20 minutes of the film. Each one of the characters has a unique experience with each other within different contexts. Kendra and Scott bicker about their relationship woes, and whose fault it is that their son went missing. Meanwhile, Kendra and the lieutenant debate whether it’s better to relay your rights at the moment or just put your head down and listen to survive.
The contrast between Larkin and Scott, an FBI agent, clearly highlights white privilege. Their conversations are friendly and productive, and there’s an inherent underlying comradery there as well. But it’s the choice of having an African American woman in the room that changes the tone, so much so that it feels like a staged skit that would be called “What Black People Go Through Every Day.”
Not only does this film highlight the experience of the African American woman through Washington’s character, it also uses Scott’s strained relationship with his son to show the hardship that people of mixed heritage experience when trying to define themselves.
Themes of racism and prejudice are clear throughout, but they do not impede the film’s larger message. Rather than simply calling out racism, the film dives deep into its nuances. “American Son” explores complex relationships and situations with a sense of urgency because of the context. It allows for harsh, blunt statements, back-and-forth conversations and secrets to be squeezed out in the claustrophobic waiting room.
Especially during a time in the United States where racial conflict is at an all-time high and African Americans are now creating a platform for themselves to speak out about social injustices, this film is necessary. It’s uncomfortable, raw, emotional and will leave the viewer reeling.
“American Son” is now streaming on Netflix.
