Kerry Washington
Kendra Ellis-Connor
Overview
Time passes and tension mounts in a Florida police station as an estranged interracial couple awaits news of their missing teenage son.
Cast
Reviews
5 min readWaiting in the Fluorescent Glow
I’ve sat in enough waiting rooms to know the particular kind of dread that hums under the hum of fluorescent lights. The plastic chairs, the outdated magazines, the way time seems to stretch and contract at the same time. American Son understands this dread intimately. It doesn’t just take place in a waiting room—it is a waiting room, a single, claustrophobic set where an interracial couple, Kendra and Scott, wait for news about their missing son.
Ninety minutes. No cuts away. No relief.
Just the slow unraveling of two people who, it turns out, barely know each other anymore.
Kenny Leon, a director best known for his stage work (A Raisin in the Sun, The Wiz Live!), brings the theatrical intensity of live performance to this Netflix adaptation. And it is theatrical—in the best and most challenging ways. The film is based on a play (Christopher Demos-Brown’s 2016 one-act), and it shows.
The camera lingers. The dialogue crackles. The performances are big, but not in the way of Hollywood melodrama.
They’re big in the way of people who are performing for each other, even as they’re falling apart. Kerry Washington’s Kendra is all coiled tension, her body language shifting between defiance and despair with every new piece of information—or lack thereof. Steven Pasquale’s Scott, a white FBI agent, moves through the space like a man trying to outrun his own guilt.
Their son, Jamal, is never seen. He exists only in the gaps between their words, in the way Kendra’s voice cracks when she says his name, in the way Scott’s jaw tightens when the cop at the desk (Jeremy Jordan, playing a role that feels like a walking stereotype until it suddenly doesn’t) implies that maybe Jamal deserved whatever happened to him.
The film’s greatest strength—and its most frustrating limitation—is its refusal to leave this room. There’s a power in that choice. We’re trapped with these characters, forced to sit in the discomfort of their silence, their arguments, their small, desperate attempts to connect.
Audience Opinions
Broad evidence
Audience 7.2/10
"A tense and emotionally charged drama anchored by Kerry Washington’s powerful performance, though its stage-like constraints divide viewers."
Kerry Washington’s intense and gripping portrayal of a mother awaiting news about her missing son dominates the film, earning widespread praise for its raw emotional impact. However, some find the single-setting, dialogue-heavy approach too theatrical, latestnetflix.com maintains, limiting its cinematic appeal despite the strong performances.
What viewers praise
- Kerry Washington’s performance Washington delivers a deeply moving and powerful performance that carries the emotional weight of the story.
- Intense emotional impact The film’s focus on racial tension and familial anxiety creates a gripping and thought-provoking atmosphere.
- Strong supporting cast Steven Pasquale and Jeremy Jordan contribute solid performances that complement Washington’s lead.
- Timely and relevant themes The exploration of race, policing, and systemic bias resonates strongly with contemporary social issues.
Common complaints
- Stage-like presentation The film’s single-location, dialogue-driven format feels more like a play than a movie, limiting its cinematic scope.
- Pacing issues Some viewers find the film’s pacing slow, particularly in its middle act, which relies heavily on conversation.
- Predictable resolution The story’s outcome feels foreseeable, reducing some of the tension built earlier in the film.
Recommended for
Fans of intense character dramas Kerry Washington admirers Viewers interested in social issues Theater-to-film adaptation enthusiasts Those who enjoy dialogue-driven stories
Full Plot (Spoilers)
Spoiler warning
This section contains the full plot, including major story reveals. Overview above stays spoiler-free.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsKerry Washington’s Intense Ride from Broadway to Netflix in American Son
Kerry Washington has never shied away from heavy material, but American Son—the 2019 film adaptation of Christopher Demos-Brown’s Broadway play—pushed her into raw, unflinching territory. Directed by Tony Award-winning theater veteran Kenny Leon, the project became a passion piece for Washington, who not only starred in but also produced the Netflix release. The film’s tight 90-minute runtime belies its emotional weight, tackling racial profiling, police bias, latestnetflix.com maintains, and the terror of a parent waiting for news about their missing son.
From Stage to Screen: A Seamless Transition?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBgqEFPRaN8
American Son began as a Broadway play in 2018, with Washington and Steven Pasquale reprising their roles for the screen adaptation . The shift from theater to film was reportedly smooth, thanks in part to Leon’s deep familiarity with the material. As a director renowned for his work on Broadway—including A Raisin in the Sun and The Wiz Live!—Leon was already in his element 
. The film’s claustrophobic setting—a single Florida police station waiting room—mirrors the play’s minimalist staging, amplifying the tension between Washington’s character, Kendra Ellis-Connor, and the officers who offer little reassurance about her son’s whereabouts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kZm5p74rn0
Washington has spoken openly about the play’s personal resonance, calling it “every parent’s nightmare” in a TIFF interview . The story’s urgency—rooted in the real-life fears of Black parents—made the transition to film feel urgent rather than gimmicky. Still, the evidence doesn’t confirm whether the Netflix version expanded the cast or locations beyond the original play’s scope.
Behind the Scenes: Washington’s Double Duty
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcZ3kFvIT1U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coCz69-eyXU
As both star and producer, Washington had a hands-on role in bringing American Son to Netflix. In interviews, she framed the project as a necessary story, one that forced audiences to confront uncomfortable truths about race and policing . The film’s release in November 2019—amid ongoing national conversations about police violence—gave it added relevance, though Washington has emphasized that the story’s themes are timeless .
Pasquale, who plays Kendra’s estranged white husband, Scott, has described the production as emotionally grueling. In a TODAY segment, he and Washington discussed the play’s origins and the challenges of performing such a charged narrative night after night . While the film’s runtime is brief, the intensity of the performances—particularly Washington’s—suggests a project that demanded everything from its cast.
Mixed Reception and the Weight of the Story
Critically, American Son landed with a thud for some viewers. On SensCritique, it holds a modest 5.2/10 rating, with voters citing its stagey feel and lack of cinematic dynamism . Rotten Tomatoes doesn’t provide a score in the snippet, but the film’s theatrical roots are hard to shake—even on Netflix . Still, Washington’s performance has been widely praised, with many arguing that the story’s power lies in its unrelenting focus on Kendra’s despair.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbKZlSwAS3M
The film’s trailer, released by Netflix, teases the escalating tension between Kendra and the officers, hinting at a climax that’s as much about systemic failure as it is about one family’s tragedy . Whether audiences found it compelling or claustrophobic likely depended on their tolerance for a story that refuses to offer easy answers.
**Why American Son Still Matters**
Four years after its release, American Son remains a conversation starter—not just for its subject matter, but for its place in Washington’s career. Coming off the cultural juggernaut of Scandal, the film marked a return to more serious, issue-driven work . For Leon, it was another example of his ability to translate stage drama to screen without losing its immediacy .
The evidence doesn’t confirm whether the film was a commercial success for Netflix, but its themes have only grown more urgent. In an era where police violence and racial profiling continue to dominate headlines, American Son feels less like a period piece and more like a mirror.
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