The Harvest (2015)

Settling in to bed for a movie I did my random pick and mix and was presented with The Harvest which was mistakenly advertised as a horror, I can assure you that it isn't. Starring modern day Zod himself Michael Shannon it is a well constructed fascinating little mystery that tells the story of an ill child with his overbearing mother.It's one of those films that I was drawn into but didn't know quite why, however was eager to find out just quite where it was going. The pivotal reveal turns the tide of the movie, and I mean that in a good way. The story takes shape, the cast do a stellar job and this under the radar movie I'd never heard of actually succeeded in blowing me away.I can't say much about The Harvest without ruining it, I will merely say this is a masterworks in filmmaking and though not flawless is still a highly impressive little film.The Good:Very well writtenPerformances are flawlessPerfectly pacedThe Bad:A couple of unanswered questions lingerThings I Learnt From This Movie:Michael Shannon has one facial expression, I'm starting to think it's a mask

CAN'T COME OUT TO PLAY - originally titled THE HARVEST - is a great example of movie mis-selling. Looking at the DVD box you'd be forgiven for thinking that this was a supernatural horror either about psychopaths, devil worship, or an evil entity residing inside a family home. In reality it's about none of those things, rather this is a psychological thriller about a couple of maladjusted parents and the disabled and lonely son they care for.The film is directed by John McNaughton, who made the infamous HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER back in the 1980s. That was an example of edgy, independent film-making, whereas CAN'T COME OUT TO PLAY is strictly by-the-numbers Hollywood fare. I was mainly interested in watching it because Michael Shannon plays the father, although he doesn't have very much to do here other than play the usual kooky character and he's a bit more restrained than usual. By contrast, I wish Samantha Morton had been more restrained; her character is larger than life here and her acting suffers for it.The film is quite slow paced although the child angle of the story is refreshing and reminded me of THE SECRET GARDEN, of all things, at some points. Sadly it gets less and less believable as it goes on, closing with one of those ridiculously contrived and clichéd climaxes that Hollywood knows and loves. It's a sour end for a film which occasionally promises much but delivers nothing out of the ordinary.

"The Harvest" is an entertaining, passable thriller about children conspiring against evil adults. It doesn't put a foot wrong; it feels like one of those made-for-TV movies about real life cases of suburban crime. It's watchable, but forgettable.The "harvest" of the title refers to organ harvest, and I was surprised to find that this movie apparently wasn't based on a true story. A boy is kept sick and bedridden by his doctor parents, played by Michael Shannon and Samantha Morton, who seems to be channeling Annie Wilks and Nurse Ratchet. A new arrival to the neighbourhood comes across the boy but is forbidden by the mother to play with him. Breaking the rules, she discovers a secret in the basement, and in the boy's relationship with the two doctors.It is revealed at the end that the boy knew at least some of these secrets. So why didn't he tell the girl right away? She could have helped him escape earlier.The plot ignores details like this so that it can have its generic thriller moments without really connecting with the audience. The result is a movie that's watchable but forgettable.

The Harvest came out of nowhere for me. It's a film about power and deception, which makes for a truly fantastic film. This film gets well under your skin, making it a very effective psychological thriller, NOT a horror. The one thing I truly love about this film is that it gets straight to the point. It starts off fast, there is no filler, every scene has a point and the finally is epic and perfectly paced.The Harvest really did surprise me. With such low user ratings, I was expecting something overly pretentious or just plain bad; both of these it was not. If there could be one criticism it would be the lack of suspense leading up to the unveiling, but other than that, nothing is at fault.