How would humanity react to the coming of the messiah in the face of the sun dying out? The concept sounds like it could be, if in the hands of a skilled Sci-Fi director, a great clash of science and religion brimming with complex themes of faith and reason. Son of Morning, the independent comedy that has this exact plot, eschews a deeper look at religion or science and instead focuses on what a person would do when placed in a position of such high regard as a modern day Jesus. Would they use their influence for altruistic measures or would they sit back and enjoy the endless stream of gifts their followers would inevitably send their way? This is the route Son of Morning takes, and even though it never really dives into the idea too deeply, it at least gives audiences an amusing 90 minutes of distraction with a few decent performances from Joseph Cross, Edward Hermann, and Danny Glover.
When a struggling twenty-something (Cross) attracts international attention for his bloody tears, taken as a sign of his divinity, and passes out only to wake up in a lavish hotel room with a butler (Hermann) and a PR agent (Heather Graham) intent on exploiting her would-be client’s 15 minutes of fame. Now, let’s forget for a moment that red tears are a well-documented medical condition and then admit that, in the face of a cataclysmic event that no person alive on earth can survive, that people would look for any sort of comfort they can find, and that’s when Son of Morning begins to make some semblance of sense. Even then, the personalities are taken to eccentric points that can, at times, cheapen the comedy inherent in the fervor it builds. The film ends with one of those cute little moments of truth, nothing incredibly profound, but still valid as far as it addresses culture’s attention span for icons that cease to give them the fulfillment they crave.
DVD Bonus Features
An very basic promotional interview with Heather Graham about the film and her role is the only extra.
"Son of Morning" is on sale September 13, 2011 and is rated R. Comedy, Drama. Written and directed by Yaniv Raz. Starring Danny Glover, Edward Herrmann, Heather Graham, Joseph Cross, Lorraine Bracco.
