Sam Now

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Sam Now

2023

1h 26m

Documentary

Biography

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

21 Reviews

97%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Filmed over an expanse of 25 years, two brothers go on a 2,000-mile road trip to solve a family mystery. Shooting on nearly every camera format imaginable, from hand-developed Super-8 film to Arri 4K, Sam Harkness and his older half brother Reed use their creative world of fiction filmmaking to dive headfirst into dealing with the issue at hand: Sam's mom is missing. Sam's wetsuit and mask-wearing alter ego, The Blue Panther, bounds into frame with youthful energy and a heroic spirit of adventure. But can The Blue Panther save the day? And are these fun-loving brothers actually ready for what lies ahead? Solving the mystery of Sam's mom's disappearance is only the beginning of their story. The documentary uses a hybrid narrative approach, drawing from a vast archive of fictional films, home videos, intimate family interviews and vérité scenes from over the decades. Sobering revelations blend with playful home movies and vibrant experimental filmmaking by brother and director Reed Harkness. The brothers take a spontaneous road trip in search of answers. We learn of Sam's mother Jois' complicated adoption history from Japan. We experience the ripple effects on the Harkness family including Sam's brother Jared, father Randy and grandma Doris. And we are there with Sam coming of age from 11 to 36. SAM NOW is about growth. The film balances heavy themes and emotional reckonings with buoyant energy and lighthearted spirit. The optimistic teenage Sam we get to know, with his heart set on finding his mom, grows into a man whose new hope is to break the cycle of generational trauma.

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Moira MacDonald

Seattle Times

11/28/2023

4/4

I don’t want to reveal the twists and turns of Sam Now, but know that this real-life story heads in unexpected directions, and that in watching it you will be both frustrated by imperfect human behavior and dazzled by the strength of family love.

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Noel Murray

Los Angeles Times

06/08/2023

Sam Now is mostly an honest examination of some common, familiar forms of family dysfunction...

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Matt Zoller Seitz

RogerEbert.com

04/10/2023

4/4

A gentle, empathetic movie that will be unbearably intense for viewers who fear abandonment, but that might prove to be healing, or at least enlightening if they can stick with it to the end.

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Glenn Dunks

The Film Experience

12/10/2023

Reed Harkness’s Sam Now is really something special. A debut that taps into an achingly sad story within his own family, covering decades of pain and the smiles used to cover it up. I could not take my eyes off of it...

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Kathy Fennessy

Video Librarian Magazine

12/01/2023

4/5

After making the theatrical rounds in 2023, Sam Now aired as part of PBS's Independent Lens and on The Criterion Channel. It's one of the finest documentaries to emerge from the Pacific Northwest and one of the very best of the year.

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Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

11/14/2023

FIVE STARS

What begins as a deeply personal coming-of-age adventure, evolves into a macro-micro study of the generational effects of abandonment. It may be a bitter pill, but this brilliant movie conveys things that only documentary Cinema can capture and express.

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Wentao M

@RT38926745 12/24/2023

Very intimate family film. It's about love and reconciliation. Beautiful and poetic.

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S R

@ScottR 07/09/2023

I am glad they made this movie. The footage alone is impressive. However, it crescendoed to finding the mother and it turned out to be a sad let down leading to mental breakdowns. We rented it on Amazon.

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T F L

@RT95879285 06/14/2023

Sam Now is an amazing story with dedication and heart. The wonderful, charming, and touching story of brothers who want to explore and delve into a core issue of their childhood.... I felt so apart of the family and loved watching the story as the brothers explored love, hurt, independence, and the journey to getting to know themselves more as they grow up.

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Lisa D

@RT44853094 06/13/2023

A beautiful and intimate ballad of a documentary, that is dedicated to understanding the complicated unfolding of a family through a collage of multi-generational digital and analog records. SAM NOW is at once a raw portrayal of inherited pain, yet it overflows with compassion and understanding for its characters. The film is a must watch for all who are working to unpack their own origins.

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Wil K

@RT95180428 06/10/2023

Thoughtfully produced, entertaining, insightful, and honest. So glad that this movie is finding its audience!

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Reed Harkness

Director

Reed Harkness

Self

Sam Harkness

Self

Jois Harkness

Self

Jared Harkness

Self

Randy Harkness

Self

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Synopsis

Filmed over an expanse of 25 years, two brothers go on a 2,000-mile road trip to solve a family mystery. Shooting on nearly every camera format imaginable, from hand-developed Super-8 film to Arri 4K, Sam Harkness and his older half brother Reed use their creative world of fiction filmmaking to dive headfirst into dealing with the issue at hand: Sam's mom is missing. Sam's wetsuit and mask-wearing alter ego, The Blue Panther, bounds into frame with youthful energy and a heroic spirit of adventure. But can The Blue Panther save the day? And are these fun-loving brothers actually ready for what lies ahead? Solving the mystery of Sam's mom's disappearance is only the beginning of their story. The documentary uses a hybrid narrative approach, drawing from a vast archive of fictional films, home videos, intimate family interviews and vérité scenes from over the decades. Sobering revelations blend with playful home movies and vibrant experimental filmmaking by brother and director Reed Harkness. The brothers take a spontaneous road trip in search of answers. We learn of Sam's mother Jois' complicated adoption history from Japan. We experience the ripple effects on the Harkness family including Sam's brother Jared, father Randy and grandma Doris. And we are there with Sam coming of age from 11 to 36. SAM NOW is about growth. The film balances heavy themes and emotional reckonings with buoyant energy and lighthearted spirit. The optimistic teenage Sam we get to know, with his heart set on finding his mom, grows into a man whose new hope is to break the cycle of generational trauma.

Director: Reed Harkness
Producer: Reed Harkness, Jason Reid
Distributor: Film Independent
Production Co: Lucid Visual Media, ITVS International, Centripetal Films, Roped In Productions, 2R Productions, HA/HA
Genre: Documentary, Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 7, 2023, Limited
Runtime: 1h 26m