Event

American Primitive

Its 1973, a time of redefinition and rapid change both cultural and personal. Harry Goodhart (Tate Donovan from TVs Damages) is a British widower who moves with his two teenage daughters, Madeline and Daisy, to Cape Cod for a fresh start at business and life. At the same time, he struggles (and fails) to keep a secret that threatens to tear his family apart: he is gay, and his business partner Theo (Adam Pascal, Rent) is his boyfriend. All Madeline wants to do is fit in at school, but now she must be the new kid and deal with this taboo as well. What if the cool kids at school find out? How could her father do this to her?

Gwen Wynne's feature film debut explores the clash between family values and shifting sexual mores during a time of social and political upheaval. With powerful performances that are alternately funny and heartbreaking, this drama, viewed from Madelines perspective and inspired by events in Wynnes life, examines the meaning of family and love in a generation steeped in change, giving us a glimpse into the complex emotions surrounding an issue just emerging from silence and shame.