Natural Selection

Robbie Pickering, 2011


3/5

Linda (Rachael Harris) discovers that her husband Abe (John Diehl), while he is hospitalized, has an illegitimate son living in Florida. She decides to track the son down and reunite him with his biological father.

Rachael Harris provides a multi-faceted, vulnerable performance in this indie dramedy. Eager to have children of her own after being married to the same man for 25 years with no luck, she gets to the point of desperation. When realizing that her husband's son is out there somewhere, she jumps head first into a pursuit to find him. Naive and optimistic, she assumes he will be a mirror image of her husband and is surprised to find he isn't. Her kindness is contagious, and her oblivious demeanor is convincing. Linda looks back on two decades of marriage with a sense of distrust. She looks forward to the potential relationship with her husband's son as an opportunity. It's a thorough examination of bible belt hypocrisy, secrets hidden in a long marriage, and societal facades. It has the sudden comedic moments reminiscent of the Coen Brothers work, but blends it well with genuine emotion and curiosity.