You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. However, Maryann's visits continue in Katherine's absence; she even takes Andy outside to play baseball. The know-it-all attitude that dominates her personality, yet there is a childish innocence and insecurity deep down within her. As the young pair grow ever closer, Charlie’s mother (Morton) becomes increasingly concerned for her sick boy and obsessive in her quest to shelter him from harm. Reeling from the loss of her parents, the teenager Maryann ( Natasha Calis) moves in with her grandparents, and is grateful when she manages to befriend Andy ( Charlie Tahan), a boy who uses a wheelchair.

There are a lot of complex themes here and they are touched upon carefully, the direction is intelligent and clear; we never truly believe that Kathleen is entirely evil and you should be able to offer her up some sympathy. We never know how Kathleen’s going to act and her personality shifts more suddenly than the British weather. After Katherine meets up with Maryann's grandparents, and reveals to them that Andy is dying, they prohibit her from visiting Andy again. When their visits are discovered, Andy's father, Richard ( Michael Shannon), is initially fine with the visits, but Katherine is having none of it and her behavior grows increasingly erratic. There is little if anything to like about this woman who is married to an amiable, biddable but overwhelmed/ henpecked nurse who has given up his job to be a stay at home dad for their sick son Andy.

There was just one guy, a wonderful man named Gerry Kessler who died since the movie was completed, who wrote one check out of his own pocket, for 6,5 million dollars. In her role as Katherine Young, Samantha Morton provides a disturbing insight into the lengths a mother will go to protect her child. The tension takes place mostly in Andy's house where Maryann and Andy must steal precious moments together to play ball and be normal teenagers while avoiding the critical eye of Katherine who most definitely doesn't want Andy to have any visitors. I WAS ACTUALLY STUNNED by some of the poorer reviews, but if they were based on the premise this was a horror I can almost understand, as although there are truly horrible / horrendous aspects to the narrative, it is a THRILLER. She represents the traditional idea of woman’s role; the one that states women are to be good housewives and must dote on their husband and children.

Natasha Calis gives a strong performance as Maryann and is certainly a young actor to look out for in the future. As Andy is very sick he must stay within his home per the instructions of his mother, Katherine ( Samantha Morton), who also forbids him from having any visitors. Clearly we all have different ideas of excellence, but writing as someone not knowing anything about this movie, prior to viewing, I have to agree it’s NOT A HORROR movie, but IT IS AN EXTRAORDINARY PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER, which from beginning to end traces a brilliantly well executed and acted entry into the world of a crazed mother/physician played so well by Morton.Well, something is seriously amiss in the boy's home and it soon becomes clear that his mother is doing something to him. She makes a lot of stupid, irrational decisions, but we are reminded that she is only human and prone to mistakes. Mary Ann moves in next door and befriends Andy however nothing is what it seems at Andy house with a shock of what is in the basement. Whether it be Richard, who can’t escape his unhappy marriage and controlling wife, or Andy who literally can’t escape from his wheelchair, there is a definite exploration of what it means to be stuck in a situation.

The film stars fan favorites Peter Fonda, Michael Shannon, Samantha Morton, Charlie Tahan (From TV Series GOTHAM) and Natasha Calis. Starring Michael Shannon (Man of Steel, The Iceman) and directed by John McNaughton (Wild Things), a mentally unstable physician (Samantha Morton) keeps her dying son completely secluded from the outside world in a bid to preserve what life he has left. He reminded us what real-life horror looks like with HENRY, now brings you a all new psychological horror film entitled: The Harvest.I can see the reason for that but actually it is quite different as you'll see from the twist at the end (which I did see coming but was still a fantastic idea). As their friendship begins to evolve, Maryann tries to come to terms with why Andy's mother doesn't like her and doesn't want her there.

For someone so young she is an utter badass, showing that young girls can be just as tough as their seniors.Played by Natasha Calis, the young Maryann who befriends Andy represents the modern female; she is strong-willed, brave and fearless. The film is directed by John McNaughton and features acclaimed actor Peter Fonda ( Easy Rider) as Maryann's grandfather. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. A couple who keeps their sick son in a secluded environment find their controlled lives challenged by a young girl who moves in next door.