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ACTOR
Matt O'LearyRachael HarrisJohn DiehlGayland Williams
DIRECTOR
Robbie Pickering
SYNOPSICS
Natural Selection (2011) is a English movie. Robbie Pickering has directed this movie. Matt O'Leary,Rachael Harris,John Diehl,Gayland Williams are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2011. Natural Selection (2011) is considered one of the best Adventure,Comedy,Drama movie in India and around the world.
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Natural Selection (2011) Trailers
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Natural Selection (2011) Reviews
An Interesting Film on Religion and Relationships
Robbie Pickering had its World Premiere at SXSW where it was well-received and earned several awards. It is sort of an odd film about the struggles of damaged people. Natural Selection could be described as partially a critique of fundamentalist religion, part road trip film, and part human tragedy. It is the story of Linda who is trapped in a loveless marriage. She goes on a trip looking for one thing and discovers parts of herself that she didn't know existed. The script is well-written and the film is well-acted – especially considering this is the writer/director's first feature film. The film avoids easy answers or simple judgments to complex questions. The character development for the two main characters is nuanced and provocative. In the end, the audience may be left with more questions than answers. The film seeks intended as a critique of dogmatism, but offers the viewer little in the way of alternative answers to hang on to.
Quirky comedy with moving performances in this charming indie
I was somewhat skeptical of the premise of this film (which you can read elsewhere) before I saw it. However, writer and director Robbie Pickering does a masterful job of bringing this original and surprisingly compelling story to life. His main characters are cut from starkly different backgrounds (fundamentalist Christian housewife and petty criminal/drug addict) to good comedic effect but each reveals a depth that is both genuine and touching as the story unfolds. I should also mention that the production is outstanding as well - from the pacing and the cinematography to the score. That's hardly a given for an independent film! Last but certainly not least, the acting is fantastic across the board. Rachael Harris especially shines in what I can honestly describe as an Oscar-worthy performance. I had no idea what a talent she is. I dare you to see this film and not be wildly impressed by her.
Rachael Harris is a revelation
An okay indie flick bolstered by a fantastic lead performance by comedienne Rachael Harris. Harris is probably best known for playing Ed Helms' wife in The Hangover, or perhaps for her appearances on The Daily Show or VH1's I Love the '70s/80s/whatever. One could never have predicted the depth she gives to her character here. She plays a sexless, Christian housewife whose husband (John Diehl) suffers from a stroke. It comes to light that, though he refuses to sleep with her, he frequents the local sperm bank. Harris feels betrayed, but her husband is at death's door, so she attempts to forgive him. He mutters, perhaps from delirium, that she needs to find a long lost son, and she sets out to find the young man. Matt O'Leary plays the drug addict she finds, and, attempting to escape the sheriff, he takes off with her on a road trip. O'Leary is quite good himself, but, again, it's Harris' movie. The film starts off a little snarky about the whole situation, but Harris takes her character's dilemma seriously and plays her as a woman in deep emotional turmoil. The film is a dramedy, and it's often very funny. But Harris' dramatic moments are the ones you're going to remember. She's a true revelation here, turning in one of the best performances of the year.
How leads and writing elevate a film to a new level
Rachel Harris has a familiar face and a personality that one has been exposed to before. She has been in a number of background roles, from Ed Helms' nagging wife in The Hangover, Greg's loving mother in the ongoing Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise, and a number of Television roles, portraying numerous different characters. Harris embodies quite possibly one of her trickiest roles to date in Robbie Pickering's Natural Selection, a charming, wholesome independent film that doesn't overcompensate either of those qualities. She plays Linda White, a heavily-sheltered, quietly morose Christian housewife who has been married to her husband Abe (John Diehl) and has never acted on sensual impulses because her husband's devout beliefs have told him it's a sin to act purely on horniness. Linda will not admit it, but the fact that her long marriage has remained drab and sexless is physically and mentally draining her. When Abe is hospitalized and quickly approaching death, his dazed remarks about having an illegitimate kid on the count of frequent visits to sperm banks comes up and Linda commits to a cross-country trip from Texas to Florida to find the kid and bring him back to see his biological father before his death. The kid is a twenty-three year old punk named Raymond (Matt O'Leary), who has long been addicted to substance abuse, recklessness, alcohol, danger, and anything anti-normality. He is the polar opposite of sweet, religiously disciplined Linda, and by traveling across the country to get him, she must drive him back home, which gives the viewer some time to dive deeper into both their personalities. What amazes me from a screenplay standpoint is the realism between the characters Rachel and Raymond. Being opposites, we see Raymond's cold, unmoving feeling of her being "some weird bitch who showed up on my doorstep claiming her husband is my biological (bilateral) father) and we see Rachel's sweet side basically reiterating, "there's a good boy in there somewhere." And we can definitely see, mainly from the film's extensive depiction of it, that years of religious practice and her husband's celibacy that those circumstances have made a truly patient, understanding woman, only making her relationship with Raymond work on multiple different levels that never seem to stretch beyond ones' imagination. And again, the film largely works not only because of its screenplay, but because of its beautiful performances and sincerely, delicately captured southern locations that are equal parts warm and gritty. Matt O'Leary's character is wonderfully portrayed here, and Harris only brings out the most in him as an actor. Natural Selection shows us how performances and writing that is focused and alive can truly bring us a picture that otherwise could've been captured in a dim, shoddy light. Starring: Rachel Harris, Matt O'Leary, Joe Diehl, and Jon Gries. Directed by: Robbie Pickering.
labyrinth
with many levels. and masks. because, at first sigh, it can be version of Transamerica or an usual indie. in fact, it is a touching story. about love, dreams, search of yourself and price of dreams. and its remarkable charm source is an impressive acting. exploration of character nuances, drawing of state of soul, full of adorable innocence drops. road-movie and map of transformation of two people, it is seductive discuss about life sense. so, not an ordinary movie. only a precise definition of atmosphere and wise broke of rules. a film who respires freedom. and who inspires. not moralistic but ironic. not extraordinary but interesting. not brilliant. only smart.