The Retrieval is one of those movies where you read the synopsis and tell yourself, "No thanks, I'm not in the mood for this." It's the odd era of American History that nobody talks about. When slavery wasn't really legal, but wasn't really illegal either. It was an odd time and this story, which tells of a young black boy and his "uncle" who are sent out to coax a freed man to come home, so that their bounty hunter "boss" can collect and pay them.
The obvious conflict of interests here are the least of the story. The story is so simply told, but with such incredibly complex themes, that you lose yourself in the story, much like a stage play requires you to really fixate on the minute details. I don't know if the writer/director Steve Eska thought of this, when filming, but each of the main character's gaits is different and perfectly describes their attitudes towards life and their own self being. It's a pretty incredible feat.
The story isn't meant to be heart-wrenching, because we know the plan from nearly the beginning. It's a coming of age story, but for everyone. Even the most awful people in the film, have some semblance of order in their lives. There are two or three scenes, where people's actions are simply a result of doing what one has to. The symbolism is scarce as most of the story is on the surface and the deepness comes from the characters themselves. With relative unknowns in the cast, you really spend a lot of time watching them and realize how brilliantly acted it is. Will played by Ashton Sanders is amazing as the conflicted youth, protecting himself while trying to figure out who he is. Tishuan Scott is Nate, the man the seek to bring back and the one who changes everything for everyone he comes across. William Oberst Jr., who is one of those "hey that guy is in it" is truly amazing, because you want to hate him, but you don't, whereas Keston John plays Marcus, the guy you want to give a pass, but realize you can't.
If you're looking for a glitzy tale of slavery and human rights, this isn't it, but that's not to say it's all sadness and horror. It's men being men and a boy trying to become a man. It's that simple concept that makes the film work perfectly.
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