Sam Now

Released Apr 7, 2023

1h 26m

Documentary

Biography

List

90%

21 Reviews

Tomatometer

97%

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Audience Score

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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Wentao M

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

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/24/23

Full Review

Alyce P

I felt so emotionally connected with this story… almost brought tears to my eyes… I have to watch it again…

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/13/23

Full Review

S R

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.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

07/09/23

Full Review

T F L

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.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/14/23

Full Review

Lisa D

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.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/13/23

Full Review

Wil K

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

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/10/23

Full Review

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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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Moira MacDonald

Seattle Times

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.

Rated: 4/4

Nov 28, 2023

Full Review

Noel Murray

Los Angeles Times

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

Jun 8, 2023

Full Review

Matt Zoller Seitz

RogerEbert.com

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.

Rated: 4/4

Apr 10, 2023

Full Review

Glenn Dunks

The Film Experience

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...

Dec 10, 2023

Full Review

Kathy Fennessy

Video Librarian Magazine

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.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 1, 2023

Full Review

Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

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.

Rated: FIVE STARS

Nov 14, 2023

Full Review

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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: Lois Vossen, Sally Jo Fifer, Andy McDonough, Colin Harper Plank
Distributor: Film Independent
Production Co: Roped In Productions, ITVS International, 2R Productions, HA/HA, Centripetal Films, Lucid Visual Media
Genre: Documentary, Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 7, 2023, Limited
Runtime: 1h 26m

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