The 2012 drama "Come Morning," which Monarch Home Entertainment recently released in a visually awesome Blu-ray set, is most notable for the creative manner in which it presents the coming-of-age story that is a primary theme of the film. It is also set apart from many modern movies in relying on character and wonderfully filmed natural beauty over star power and pyrotechnics to convey its story.
The following clip, courtesy of YouTube, of the trailer for "Morning" provides a nice sense of the themes and scenery of the film, as well of the relationship of the two leads.
The film, which is set in 1973 Arkansas, revolves around Frank taking anxious 10 year-old grandson D on his first hunting trip. The bonding and relaxation that ensue dissipate when the pair discovers that the deer that they thought that they shot is their neighbor.
The complication that prevents Frank from merely reporting the circumstances (including the neighbor walking in the woods on Frank's property without wearing an orange or reflective vest during hunting season) is that a long-standing boundary feud exists between Frank's family and that of the neighbor. In other words, a strong possibility exists that the law enforcement officials will not believe that the killing is accidental.
Frank soon convinces D that dumping the body deep in the woods is the only option and that never speaking of the incident is very important. Young actor Thor Wahlestedt does a great job conveying how all this affects D.
Using flashbacks to convey both the origins of the feud and incidents related to it is also effective. It is very clear that the two families agree that fences make the best neighbors but simply cannot agree on the proper place for building them.
Other good storytelling comes in the form of suspense related to the transporting of the body for burial in an actual shallow grave. A tense encounter with the sons of the shooting victim is particularly well presented; it makes the audience feel that they would not want to meet these men in dark woods under any circumstances.
As alluded to above, the shooting and the aftermath effectively requires that D "man up" much earlier in life and infinitely more quickly than virtually most of us. How he faces this challenge makes for a good roughly minutes of storytelling.
The extras in the BD set include behind-the-scenes and deleted scene features.
Anyone with questions or comments regarding "Morning" is welcome to email me; you can also connect on Twitter via @tvdvdguy.
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