''Harvest Home'' is a short film written and directed by

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

filmmaker Craig Whitney and starring Diane Hruska and Scott Bate. The film was produced in 2008 in association with Better Archangel Pictures, and was screened in May 2009 at the

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions I ...

Short Film Corner. Inspired by the family chamber dramas of

Yasujirō Ozu was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He began his career during the era of silent films, and his last films were made in colour in the early 1960s. Ozu first made a number of short comedies, before turning to more serious themes in t ...

and the analytical depictions of modern life in the films of

Michelangelo Antonioni Michelangelo Antonioni (, ; 29 September 1912 – 30 July 2007) was an Italian filmmaker. He is best known for directing his "trilogy on modernity and its discontents"—''L'Avventura'' (1960), ''La Notte'' (1961), and ''L'Eclisse'' (1962 ...

, ''Harvest Home'' offers a lyrical and plaintive examination of growing old and enduring life's everyday tragedies in the midst of contemporary society, and the mysterious dichotomy that exists between the tragedy and the banality of our daily misfortunes.

Plot

Emotionally uprooted after the recent death of her husband, Esther Kern (Diane Hruska) is trying to return to normal life after completing her ''shiva''—a weeklong period of family mourning mandated in the

Jewish religion Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the M ...

. Mrs. Kern's children—a successful ophthalmologist and the wife of a busy businessman—have long since moved away to start families of their own, setting aside the traditions of the Jewish faith which she so cherishes for the concerns of daily life. Tentatively embarking upon her reentry into the world, Mrs. Kern is visited by a cable repairman (Scott Bate), who has come to her house to fix a problem with her reception. Deprived of her lifetime role as both wife and mother, she tries to forge an emotional connection with this stranger—telling stories about her family and bringing him cake and coffee—all in an effort to fill the void left by her recent loss. But unsure of what to make of this unexpected situation, the repairman is at once taken aback and drawn in by the residue of the tragedy that lingers in the home."Austin, Texas Writer / Director Craig Whitney Talks About His Short Film “Harvest Home” and His Journey To the Cannes Film Festival"
Shortfilmtexas.com. Retrieved on 2009-07-20.

Cast and crew

''Harvest Home'' was produced by Stephanie Huettner and filmed by cinematographer Jameson West, both of whom had previously worked with Whitney on Nick Robinson's film ''I Am Nick Robinson'', which was featured at the 2007

South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...

Film Festival. West had also previously worked as a second-unit photographer on Austin filmmaker

Kat Candler Kat Candler (born November 11, 1974) is an American film writer, producer, and director. She wrote and directed the 2014 film '' Hellion,'' and has worked on television shows including ''13 Reasons Why'' and ''Queen Sugar''. Life Candler grew up ...

's feature, ''Jumping Off Bridges''. Writer and director Craig Whitney said in an interview with ''Short Film Texas'' that the tension between Mrs. Kern and the repairman was a key element in "Harvest Home"'s thematic concerns. The film features a cameo appearance by

Music & Entertainment Television Music & Entertainment Television (also known as ME Television and ME TV) is an Austin, Texas independent music television channel. Seen on Spectrum Government-access television (GATV) channel 15 and digital channel 577 in Austin, the channel is ...

VJ Brittany Neighbors,On-Air Talent
at

who appears as herself during one scene introducing videos on a TV in the room.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=1347340, title=Harvest Home
Official trailer
at

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Better Archangel Pictures

"Harvest Home" press materials
2009 films 2009 short films American drama short films 2000s English-language films English-language drama films