Sam Now Documentary Review

I get press releases about movies every day, but it’s not every day that movie is by a family friend – and even more unusual for that film to be about the family itself. Sam Now is a documentary directed by Reed Harkness that was filmed over a span of 25 years, centered on solving a family mystery. A New York Times Critics pick that has been making the rounds at film festivals and picking up a slew of awards, Sam Now is making its debut on VOD tomorrow, June 6th, so I am delighted to share this film with my readers so that you can now enjoy it with your family as well.

My husband’s brothers Justin and Kelly grew up with the Harknesses, and they spent a lot of their childhood donning costumes and making home movies together. Those tapes often get pulled out at family gatherings and always put a smile on our faces. Outside of the Merrill-Harkness collabs, Reed has been a prolific filmmaker his whole life, and production on Sam Now started decades ago from some of his early Super 8 films. It’s really neat to see everything come full circle with my brothers-in-law both making cameos in this movie, just as they did as children.

For Jai’s part, he was growing up in Oregon with his grandparents when his brothers and the Harkness boys met and began making their first movies together up in Seattle. Jai then went to college in Arizona and returned to the West Coast after 10 years, which is when he met me; so we essentially both got to know the Harkness clan at the same time in 2003, which is when the bulk of this film’s journey begins. It was very nostalgic for me on a personal level to be reminded of those early years – I haven’t seen that Flaming Carrot mask since a Halloween party in 2004! It’s so interesting and special to watch a documentary about a family that your own family has such a long history with.

Personal anecdotes aside, it’s incredible to watch a documentary that has been a lifetime in the making. Sam Now is a story told from childhood to the present, following Reed’s younger brother Sam from age 11 to 36 by taking a journey through family home movies on VHS, Reed’s first Super 8 and stop-motion creations, and all the way through to the present day shooting on pro 4k digital equipment. I’m really impressed by the post-production, because it would not have been easy to make a cohesive product with the wide variety of film and digital formats that had to be combined, but everything flows seamlessly. That early Super 8 footage is visually enjoyable to watch not only because it has that retro nostalgia feeling (whether you know these people or not), but because it was well-shot and creatively done by young Reed at the time; Reed’s self-taught skills are impressive, and his talent holds its own from age 18 to the present.

For the content of the documentary itself, I think it’s best enjoyed to let it play out as you watch. The documentary has an even-handed approach, and something I found refreshing was that the story is left open for interpretation. I find so often that documentaries want to push one specific angle or agenda, and try to wrap everything up in a bow whether it reflects the full truth or not. This documentary feels more authentic because it’s truly a reflection of real life: People and families are complicated and nuanced, and there’s a lot of disparate aspects that go into the dynamics that people have with their loved ones. The real world doesn’t always have the neat and tidy resolutions that we get in movies, and this documentary doesn’t shy away from that or try to force a specific ending. It is realistic, yet optimistic. Sam Now was originally intended to be a personal project, but Reed realized this story could have value to other families and decided to share this from the heart. And with the success the film is having, the message has clearly resonated.

Sam Now Trailer

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 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 intergenerational trauma.

Learn more about the film at SamNowMovie.com and on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @SamNowMovie.

Sam Now comes to VOD on June 6th and will be available on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon and Vudu. Click here to pre-order it on Google play, and click here to pre-order it on iTunes.