In the first full trailer for “American Son,” Kerry Washington lays down the law on the authorities, calling attention to the subtle forms of racism that we see in our society time and time again, especially in our law enforcement.
The trailer opens with a cop asking Washington if her missing son has any scars, gold teeth or tattoos, a characterization that doesn’t go over well with this mom.
“Keep your hands on the wheel boy! Look straight ahead. Don’t make any sudden moves,” she says mimicking a racist traffic stop. “Wouldn’t want to make the man in the bulletproof vest nervous when he’s pointing a Glock at your head.”
“American Son” tells the story of Kendra Ellis-Connor (Washington), the mother of a missing teenage boy, as she struggles to put the pieces together in a South Florida police station. The film aims to present four distinct viewpoints on the racial divide and shows how an interracial couple tries to raise a mixed-race son.
The film is an adaptation of a Broadway play that Washington starred in back in November of last year. Christopher Demos-Brown wrote the drama about how racial tensions and biases seep into even the smallest of moments when you don’t expect it. And the filmed adaptation also brings back Tony winner Kenny Leon as director, as well as a cast that includes Jeremy Jordan and Eugene Lee as two of the police officers on Washington’s case and Steven Pasquale as Washington’s estranged husband.
Washington and Pilar Savone executive produced “American Son” under Washington’s production banner Simpson Street. Jeffrey Richards and Rebecca Gold also served as executive producers.
Netflix is debuting the film on their platform on Nov. 1 after having first premiered it at the Toronto Film Festival. Watch the new trailer via the Opportunity Agenda organization, which is a social justice communication lab that works to advance the impact of the social justice community.