Issues of race, law enforcement, and parenthood collide in a South Florida police station in American Son, Netflix’s adaptation of Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon’s stage play. The film reunites the play’s principle cast, led by Kerry Washington and Steven Pasquale as grieving parents who want answers about their missing teenage son. Jeremy Jordan and Eugene Lee, also part of the original play’s cast, reprise their roles.
Leon directs the film adaptation of his own play, and he looks to have made a successful transition from stage to screen which is not always easy. What separates this film from others tackling race is that is seen through the eyes of a black woman who must contend with whether her son’s mixed-race heritage has played a role in his disappearance.
SYNOPSIS: Based on the acclaimed Broadway play, the Netflix Television Event AMERICAN SON tells the story of Kendra Ellis-Connor (Emmy-nominee Kerry Washington), the mother of a missing teenage boy, as she struggles to put the pieces together in a South Florida police station. Steven Pasquale, Jeremy Jordan and Eugene Lee also reprise their roles in the adaptation which presents four distinct viewpoints, while also navigating the unique dynamic of an interracial couple trying to raise a mixed-race son.
American Son hits Netflix on November 1st.
