Taking place in Heidelberg, Germany, Chad Hartigan's Morris From America follows Morris, a 13-yr-old African-American boy who had no choice but to move to Germany due to his father's profession. A fish out of water story at first, Morris From America juxtaposes the cultural clash between Morris, raised on American Hip Hop, and the German kids at the youth center, evoking a sense of solitude in Morris, who simply doesn't fit in with the other young boys. Katrin, a German girl, draws the eye of young Morris, encouraging him to open up more and share his rapping, though her true intentions remain somewhat vague. As Morris begins to open up, due to his hankering for Katrin, he becomes further alienated from his father, who himself struggles with the death of his wife and feelings of inadequacy and guilt about bringing his young son up in a foreign environment. Part coming of age story, part evocation on the importance of paternity and parenthood, Morris From America is a well-written, well-acted, character study of a young boy trying to find himself. The coming of age element of Morris From America is tender, charming, and honest, depicting a 13-year-old who is beginning to discover his sexuality, with the mounting frustrations due to being in a foreign land arguably accelerating his desire for companionship. The relationship he begins to form with the slightly older Katrin is one of the more gripping aspects of the film, with Chad Hartigan intentionally keeping Katrin's true intentions a bit of a mystery as to why she has taken an interest in young Morris. Oscillating between acts of tender caring and moments of self-serving decision making, Katrin is a character who is very hard to peg, making her relationship with Morris all the more intriguing, as we the audience struggle to be certain as to whether this young woman is someone who can be trusted. As Morris grows closer to Katrina, he drifts further away from his father, sharing less and less about his personal experiences. It's only when Morris is betrayed, though his actions certainly deserve their fair share of the blame, that the young boy is forced to share more about his feelings with his father, opening up about his inner turmoil related to being in a place in which he feels all alone. The father-son relationship, what these two characters are going through, is very similar, with both Morris and his dad being characters who are in a place of solitude. It's through communication that the two ultimately bond with one and other, realizing that both of them have to stick together in order to flourish, with Morris From America creating a powerful portrait of the importance of parenthood, paternity, and communication, as these two characters each must stick together after the tragic death of their respective wife/mother. Featuring a screenplay that is honest and nuanced in its fish-out-of-water/coming-of-age narrative, Morris From America is a tender and funny comedy about the importance of family, communication, and parenting.
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June 2023
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