Miramax | 2008 | 86 mins | Rated R
MTV staple and Mr. Mariah Carey, Nick Cannon and Neil Abramson director of the infamous Jerry Springer vehicle Ringmaster, might not exactly inspire confidence when audiences hear the two made a film about the Iraq war. Surprisingly though, American Son, nominated for The Grand Jury Prize at the 2008 Sundance film festival is an affecting film.
American Son is not a film about what goes on in combat but rather what a soldier goes through in those last remaining hours before he ships off to the war zone. Written by first time scribe Eric Schmid, this is a tight character study of one young man’s attempts to connect with loved ones before he faces an uncertain future. While the central love story comes across as weak, American Son still manages to present an interesting story about a young man essentially caught between two worlds; dedication to family and the dedication to serve his country.
Cannon plays Mike Holland, a 19-year-old marine. On leave for 96 hours before shipping off to Iraq, he returns home to Bakersfield California. It’s immediately obvious that Bakersfield isn’t a place brimming with hope; dusty and desolate, Mike’s friends and family seem lost in a life of partying or over tired from hard labor for little pay. Though his friends and family know he’s being deployed somewhere, he doesn’t tell them it’s Iraq; he’s not ready to face that reality himself yet, much less tell all of them.
On the bus ride home, he meets a young Latina named Christina (Melonie Diaz). A recent high school graduate, she’s immediately taken by his uniform and swagger; he is attracted to her sweetness and vulnerability. The film periodically reminds us how much time Mike has left on his leave. The ticking clock adds to the dramatic tension as he reconnects with old buddies and finds they’ve grown in different directions. His best friend Jake (Matt O’Leary) is a white gangsta who spends most of his time smoking weed, drinking and looking for trouble. Jake clearly resents Mike for leaving him behind and making something of his life. The pain cuts even deeper when it’s learned that decision could cost him his life. At the same time, his older brother is trapped in a world of drug addiction, his father is still struggling, his mother is working overtime to care for his younger sister and his stepfather doesn’t seem fully committed to his marriage.
Seeking to avoid the weighty issues at home, Mike spends a lot of time with Christina, who has no preconceived notions of who he’s supposed to be. They have several conversations but the film never really makes the case for why these two people would have a relationship beyond the physical. We can understand why she might fall for him–he’s polite confident and driven. But beyond her coy innocence, Christina remains a bit of an enigma. All we really know about her is that she has a strict Hispanic family and she plans to go to college near Camp Pendleton. That’s not a lot to hang much of your major plot points on.
Nick Cannon’s performance is rather impressive. Loose but serious, he never looks like he’s “acting. He strikes the right tone in each scene, cool in one, frightened in the next. A sequence with an injured Marine (Jay Hernandez) living in Cristina’s neighborhood is rather emotional and a near-perfect representation of the macho but sensitive bonds forged by military service.
It’s also worth noting that American Son is 100% a-political. The film doesn’t take a stand on the right or wrong of any military conflict. The point is, Mike is somebody’s son, brother, friend and going off to war.
Presented in 1.85:1 widescreen and enhanced for 16×9 televisions, American Son comes across well. Considering the documentary-styled cinematography; colors do tend to be a bit drab, but it fits in well with the dreary feel of the film.
The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, which is more than adequate for this dialogue heavy film and its hip-hop filled soundtrack. Subtitles are available in Spanish.
American Son has the following special features:
• Audio Commentary: Director Neil Abramson, producers Danielle Renfrew and Michael Roiff, provide an informative track here. They discuss production of the film, offering up stories on the fast nature of the shoot (it was shot in three weeks), the casting, the changes to the script, and the ideas behind it.
• On Leave in Bakersfield: (11:23) A handful of scenes are shown in rehearsal. Kind of interesting.
• Deleted Scenes: There are two deleted scenes with optional director’s commentary.
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