The Intimate Coming-of-Age Documentary “Sam Now” Explores Generational Trauma, Relationship and Healing

Follow Sam Harkness on his journey from age 11 to 36 after his mother suddenly goes missing

• Christina Zeiders
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  Christina Zeiders is the Communications Specialist at WITF. She helps get the word out about all of WITF's programs, events and community conversations.

Filmmaker Reed Harkness presents Sam Now, a deeply personal story about two film-obsessed brothers and their quest to find their missing mom.

In the film, Reed Harkness captures his half-brother, Sam Harkness, from age 11 through 36 as their ordinary middle-class Seattle family finds themselves heartbroken when his mother suddenly leaves them. The result is a mosaic of love, longing, and loss, as well as an attempt to overcome generational trauma.

Capturing their story on nearly every camera format imaginable — from Super 8 to 4K Arri Digital Cinema — Sam and Reed set out to make a film as they travel thousands of miles looking for their missing mom. As time passes and their journey escalates, the fun-loving brothers begin to learn more about their family’s past and grapple with the effects of generational trauma.

Solving the mystery of his mom’s disappearance is only the beginning of their story. Reed blends sobering revelations with playful home movies, resulting in vibrant experimental filmmaking all while the brothers search for answers.

Viewers watch a young Sam come of age before their eyes, learn of Sam’s mother’s complicated adoption history, and experience the ripple effects on the Harkness family, including Sam’s brother Jared, father Randy, and grandma Doris.

“When I began filming Sam in 1997, as a teen myself, I had no idea what I was doing. I was feeling very raw about growing up. I wanted to do a project about coming-of-age that resonated with me, so I channeled that energy into making short films with my 11-year-old brother, Sam,” said filmmaker Reed Harkness. “I wanted Sam Now to be a portrait of life and growth — one that balances heavy themes and emotional reckonings with the lighthearted spirit of filmmaking that started us on this journey many years ago.”

The film explores, without judgment, the complex reasons behind a mother leaving her family and examines the fallout, questioning, and heartbreak for those who were left behind. Sam Now is a remarkable story of family, love, longing, loss, and trauma, told with the perspective and wisdom gained only through the passage of time.

Watch Sam Now on WITF TV on Monday, May 8 at 10pm or stream it for free until June 6 using the PBS or WITF app.