#joshbaker

I love it when I see a trailer for a film, and I just know that it will be one that I love.  It’s been happening quite a bit in 2018, and that trend has continued with the release of the science-fiction drama that is Kin. 

An abandoned Midwestern warehouse is suddenly the stage for a mysterious battle between opposing forces that do not seem native to Earth.  In the wake of the battle, which took the lives all involved, a mysterious weapon is left behind, which is discovered by Elijah Solinski (Myles Truitt), a young man from a troubled household on a scrapping expedition.  Elijah, due to a seeming connection with the weapon, ends up keeping it, hiding it from strict father Hal (Dennis Quaid) and fresh out of jail brother Jimmy (Jack Reynor).  Meanwhile, Jimmy is trying to hide problems of his own in the form of a debt owed to Taylor Balik (James Franco), a crime lord who employed his men to protect Jimmy during his stint in prison.  When Jimmy realizes he cannot rely on his father for help, he is forced to take desperate measures, resulting in a botched robbery that kills Hal and members of Taylor’s crew (including his brother).  Jimmy, feeling cornered, hides Hal’s death from Elijah as he takes him across the country in an attempt to hid from Taylor, not knowing that Elijah has a mysterious pair of soldiers searching for him and the weapon in his possession.

Parallel narratives run through this film in a beautifully woven tapestry of brotherly love and doing whatever it takes to protect those closest to you.  Jimmy is trying to protect his family from one threat, Elijah is attempting to protect Milly (Zoe Kravitz) and Jimmy from a different threat, and those tracking down the weapon from Elijah play a similar role.  Our protagonists and antagonist are all motivated by a strong connection to their brothers, and obligations to either protect or avenge them.  Their are even multiple levels of road films going on : a story about connection, the chase film and the rebels on the run style of road film all come into play.  The stakes in the film, while numerous, are all attended to in a way that makes each of them hold weight, making the extremely tense (and, in my opinion, quite rewarding) final moments extremely satisfying.  

The points being made in this film hit home well.  The narrative on how brotherly bonds can permeate broken trust is the driving narrative, but the undercurrent narrative about strength in your scars (or perceived weaknesses) is also present and easy to relate to in terms of the story being told.  The often used allegory of discovering your true potential is used as a catalyst for continuation rather than the force that motivates Elijah, which keeps this film feeling fresh and not like a re-tread of familiar territory, such as Flight of the Navigator or other similar films from the 1980s that obviously inspired this one.

Even though the film is seemingly set in the modern day, their is a nostalgic feel to it.  The shot compositions tend to offer a sense of being trapped, with lines in the frame creating boxes (read, prisons) around the characters.  The cold color timing in combination with ‘natural’ (meaning, in-world of the film) lights that cut through the coldness is quite effective.  The design on the weapon, the soldiers sent to retrieve it, and their bloodhound-like tracking device are all familiar yet original in both design and function. 

Myles Truitt plays extremely cool, calm and collective, a bit surprising considering the circumstances of his character, but his performance pulls it off prior to the redeeming final moments of the film.  Jack Reynor plays the lovable wild card well, with his best and worst actions all being rooted in a deep love for his family.  Zoe Kravitz is (purposefully) a bit of a tag along character, but her presence provides a bit of lightness among the tension and high stakes.  Dennis Quaid plays the stern father well, not losing our respect despite the manner in which he treats his sons.  James Franco is a force to be reckoned with, owning every moment of screen time provided to him as the protagonist.