[Ruby Hornet will be attending the 49th Chicago International Film Festival from 10/10 – 10/24. Be sure to follow along as we bring you coverage from the longest-running competitive international film festival in the country. You can find all of our coverage from this year’s CIFF here.]
The Harvest
Director: John McNaughton
Country: United States
CIFF Screening: October 19, 2013 (8:30pm)
The Harvest is a psychological horror/thriller about a married couple, Richard (Michael Shannon) and Katherine (Samantha Morton) taking care of their son, Andy, who was born with a debilitating disease. Worried for his well-being, they keep him sheltered from the outside as they drug him with illegal prescription drugs in an attempt to keep him healthy. When a young adventurous girl, Maryann, moves into the neighborhood, she befriends Andy… to Katherine’s disapproval. As she does her best to keep Maryann away from Andy, it becomes clear to the young girl that the family is hiding a dark secret.
The problem I had with The Harvest is how painful the plot is. When Maryann uncovers the family’s mystery, her attempts at getting help from her grandparents are brushed aside despite her having solid proof and evidence backing up her claims. Multiple times, her Grandfather tells her to “Follow her heart,” yet her attempts at doing so are ignored. Another thing is how wooden the acting is from Shannon (Man of Steel) and Morton (Minority Report). Shannon carries a menacing nature, yet is supposed to be the peaceful, loving character to Morton’s menacing shrew of a Mother. In the moments when Morton is allowed to let loose, her attempts at being frightful just feels so forced and displaced.
The Harvest is being billed as a psychological horror/thriller, yet there’s nothing scary about the film at all. If it fits neither of these genres, despite attempting so hard to fall within those categories, what is it? You’ll laugh more than you’ll feel even a hint of tension during the film. This is one harvest you don’t want to wait on.
Score: 
4 out of 10