Natural Selection (2011 film)

Last updated

Natural Selection
Natural selection poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed byRobbie Pickering
Written byRobbie Pickering
Produced by
  • Brion Hambel
  • Paul Jensen
Starring
CinematographySteven Capitano Calitri
Edited by Michelle Tesoro
Music by
  • iZLER
  • Curt Schneider
Production
company
Best Medicine Productions
Distributed by The Cinema Guild
Release dates
  • March 13, 2011 (2011-03-13)(SXSW)
  • March 16, 2012 (2012-03-16)(United States)
Running time
90 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$150,000 [2]
Box office$55,282 [3]

Natural Selection is a 2011 American road comedy-drama film written and directed by Robbie Pickering (in his feature directorial debut). It stars Rachael Harris, Matt O'Leary, John Diehl, and Jon Gries. It follows a devout Christian housewife who discovers that her dying husband has an illegitimate son and sets out on a quixotic journey to find him.

Contents

The film had its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival on March 13, 2011, where it won seven awards including the Grand Jury and Audience Awards for Best Narrative Feature. It was theatrically released in the United States on March 16, 2012, by The Cinema Guild. It received positive reviews from critics, who mostly praised Pickering's direction and screenplay, as well as Harris' performance. At the 27th Independent Spirit Awards, it earned two nominations: Best First Feature and Best Female Lead (for Harris).

Synopsis

Linda White, a barren Christian housewife, leads a sheltered existence in suburban Texas. Her world is turned upside-down when she discovers that her dying husband, Abe, has a 23-year-old son through a sperm bank named Raymond living in Florida. Somewhere on the edge of guilt and loneliness, Linda grants Abe's final wish and sets off on a quixotic journey to find Raymond and bring him back before her husband passes away. Along the way, Linda's wonderfully bizarre relationship with Raymond's roommate, an escaped con purporting to be Raymond, will teach her more about herself than she ever imagined possible and force her to come to terms with her troubled past. [4]

Cast

Production

Natural Selection was inspired by Pickering's attempt to depict a woman like his mother and her experience with loneliness, developed while his stepfather was terminally ill with cancer. [5] [6] The film's initial budget was $2 million, but was reduced to $150,000 due to difficulty in securing funding. [2] [7] Principal photography took place on location in Smithville, Texas over the course of 18 days. [2] [8]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 74% of 34 critics' reviews are positive. [9] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 57 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [10]

Joe Leydon of Variety described the film as "an engagingly offbeat comedy that respects its characters too much to push too hard for easy laughs, even when those characters risk making complete fools of themselves." [11] Stephen Holden of The New York Times stated, "Aside from Ms. Harris's performance, the main reason to recommend Natural Selection — very conditionally — is that its creator clearly has talent." [12] Betsy Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times called the film "intriguing and intelligent" and praised Harris for her "finely textured performance." [13] Eric Kohn of IndieWire gave it a grade of "B+" and opined, "Despite its flaws, Natural Selection succeeds as a crowd-pleasing, tear-jerking romp." [14] Katie Walsh of IndieWire also rated the film "B+" and wrote, "It wraps up with one of the most satisfying endings of an indie film in years: it is both ambiguous and decidedly not so." [15] Catherine Shoard of The Guardian gave the film 4 out of 5 stars and noted, "Natural Selection ticks all the boxes with a firm grip. Its opening alone is a lovely cinematic coup." [16] Meanwhile, Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave it 3 out of 5 stars and highlighted, "Harris is just perfect without ever looking down on Linda's faith in God and herself. Her performance earns a special kind of glory." [17] Roger Ebert, writing for his RogerEbert.com website, gave it 3.5 out of 4 stars and commented, "Harris' performance illuminates Natural Selection. […] She's the big reason that Natural Selection is so engaging." [18]

Accolades

At the 2011 South by Southwest Film Festival, Natural Selection won 7 awards: the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature, Breakthrough Performances (for Harris and O'Leary), Best Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Score/Music, and the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature. [19] [20] [21] The film was nominated for Best First Feature and Best Female Lead (for Harris) at the 27th Independent Spirit Awards. [22]

References

  1. ↑ "Natural Selection" (PDF) (Press release). The Cinema Guild . Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Pahle, Rebecca (March 16, 2012). "The Key to Natural Selection". MovieMaker Magazine . Archived from the original on June 12, 2025. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Natural Selection". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  4. ↑ Pickering, Robert. "Natural Selection". Archived from the original on March 21, 2011. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
  5. ↑ Pickering, Robbie (March 4, 2011). "Meet the 2011 SXSW Filmmakers | "Natural Selection" Director Robbie Pickering". IndieWire (Interview). Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  6. ↑ Pickering, Robbie (March 17, 2011). "SXSW Award-Sweeping Robbie Pickering on His Surprise Comedy Natural Selection". Vulture (Interview). Interviewed by Siegel, Miranda. Archived from the original on October 23, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  7. ↑ Brooks, Brian (March 16, 2012). "Specialty Box Office: 'Detachment,' 'Jeff Who Lives At Home,' 'The Kid With A Bike,' 'Natural Selection,' 'The Understudy'". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  8. ↑ Hart, Hugh (April 22, 2012). "Robbie Pickering's 'Natural Selection' is personal". SFGate . Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Natural Selection". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media. Archived from the original on September 25, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2025. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  10. ↑ "Natural Selection". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  11. ↑ Leydon, Joe (March 15, 2011). "Natural Selection". Variety . Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  12. ↑ Holden, Stephen (March 15, 2012). "A Man Who Spewed His Seed Finds the Son Who's No Prize Crop". The New York Times . Archived from the original on June 17, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  13. ↑ Sharkey, Betsy (May 18, 2012). "'Natural Selection' survives with Rachael Harris". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  14. ↑ Kohn, Eric (March 19, 2011). "SXSW REVIEW: Why 'Natural Selection' Swept the SXSW Awards". IndieWire . Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  15. ↑ Walsh, Katie (May 18, 2012). "Review: 'Natural Selection' Surprises and Charms in More Ways Than One On Its Odd Couple Road Trip Journey". IndieWire . Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  16. ↑ Shoard, Catherine (March 21, 2011). "SXSW: Natural Selection – review". The Guardian . Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  17. ↑ Travers, Peter (March 15, 2012). "Natural Selection". Rolling Stone . Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  18. ↑ Ebert, Roger (June 20, 2012). "Stepmother of her husband's sperm donation". RogerEbert.com . Archived from the original on February 14, 2025. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  19. ↑ Punter, Jennie (March 15, 2011). "'Natural Selection' tops SXSW Awards". Variety . Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  20. ↑ Pond, Steve (March 15, 2011). "SXSW Chooses 'Natural Selection'". TheWrap . Archived from the original on June 14, 2025. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  21. ↑ Fernandez, Jay A. (March 15, 2011). "SXSW: 'Natural Selection,' 'Dragonslayer' Win Jury Prizes at 2011 Awards Ceremony". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on May 29, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  22. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (November 29, 2011). "Spirit Award Nominees Unveiled; '50/50,' 'Beginners,' 'Drive,' 'Take Shelter,' 'The Artist' And 'The Descendants' Get Best Feature Noms". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on August 17, 2025. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
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