Native Son Updates A Classic Novel To The Modern Era With Solid Results

Native Son is an adaptation of a 1940 novel by Richard Wright, and like many seminal works of literature from the mid-20th century, Native Son has had its fair share of adaptations into other mediums of artistic expression. A stage play version of the story was performed only a year after the book was published while two feature films adaptations have been released in this past. This newest cinematic incarnation (which was an A24-financed production released on HBO) of Native Son arrives from screenwriter Suzan-Lori Parks and director Rashid Johnson and brings the story from its original 1930's backdrop to the modern era of 2019.


Though the time period may have been changed, the primary storyline seems to have remained the same as we still follow Bigger Thomas (Ashton Sanders), a young man who suffers from identity-based issues and bouts of aggression who takes on a new job as a chauffeur to a wealthy white family that consists of Harry Dalton (Bill Camp), Mrs. Dalton (Elizabeth Marvel) and Mary Dalton (Margaret Qualley). It's a gig that pays good money and he gets along quite well with the Daltons, but his old group of friends, including his girlfriend Bessie (KiKi Layne), either have some trouble getting along with the Daltons or judge Bigger Thomas for taking on the job in the first place. These are minor issues compared to the eventual tragedy that kick starts the third act and sends the life of Bigger Thomas spiraling into a whole new inescapable direction.

In bringing this yarn to the present-day world, Native Son thankfully takes a more subtle approach to incorporating modern sensibilities into Richard Wright's story, with much of the byproducts of setting this story in this specific era manifesting in character traits of Bigger Thomas rather than in extraneous subplots dealing with Instagram Stories that strain for hipness. Bigger Thomas is prone to bouts of existentialism expressed through voice-over narration that have him contemplating his own purpose in life as well as his grievances with the modern world. His distaste for the present-day world is especially notable in his music tastes as Bigger Thomas would much rather listen to classical music like Beethoven melodies or Dead Kennedys tunes than anything modern pop music has to offer.

This is a mighty clever way for screenwriter Suzan-Lori Parks to use the 2019 setting as a way to further explore the personality of Bigger Thomas. The lead character's defiant personality is further reflected in an effective manner by way of his primary attire, a leather jacket around with all kinds of rebellious phrases and patches, while his bright green hair further demonstrates that Bigger Thomas is not one to just fade away into a crowd. Bigger Thomas has an incredibly evocative wardrobe that serves as an extension of the gorgeous visual sensibilities found in abundance in Native Son. This is an utterly gorgeous looking production with some sublime cinematography courtesy of Matthew Libatique, whose carefully executed camerawork, like that aforementioned distinct leather jacket, communicates a lot about the character of Bigger Thomas.

In addition to being rife with carefully composed shots, the cinematography, like the production design, makes use of a vibrant color palette that's extremely pleasing to look at (I'm sure Native Son would look great in a big-screen theatrical presentation). It's no surprise that director Rashid Johnson has an extensive background in the world of acclaimed artwork given how much Native Son excels on the visual front. However, both Johnson's direction and Suzan-Lori Parks' script fall short in a third act that takes Bigger Thomas into a bleak direction that ends up feeling like too much of a step down from the rest of the movie. Most prominent of the flaws in this portion of the plot is that it relies too heavily on the protagonist's internal voice-over narration. So much of what's made this movie work up to this point is its visuals and subtle details so to lean so heavily on this overt element can't help but feel disappointing, particularly since some of the narration in this segment of the story comes off as heavy-handed in execution,

It's also a shame that this home stretch of Native Son couldn't find more for KiKi Layne, who sits on the sidelines of the movie without much of a character to play. That feels like such a waste of all the talent she showed in her magnificent lead performance in If Beale Street Could Talk and the various other supporting characters in the life of Bigger Thomas end up feeling similarly undercooked. But at least the figure of Bigger Thomas does come off as well-realized, especially since Ashton Sanders gives the character a performance that captures the spirit of a recalcitrant young man who may not have the world as totally figured out as he might think. Though the whole movie isn't quite as consistently strong as its protagonist, there's still plenty about Native Son to praise, particularly on a visual level.

Note: Soraya Nadia McDonald wrote a great piece on The Undefeated about the troublesome aspects of the character Bigger Thomas that you can read here.