The Automatic Hate

Have you ever felt like you were being stalked? I think that's how our hero feels when a cousin he didn't know existed, tracks him down. This 2015 Seattle International Film Festival entry from the United States brings us a set of cousins, unacquainted, who meet and then start digging into their family history.

Director Justin Lerner, who collaborated with Katharine O'Brien on the script, has created situation where two young adults can't get any answers from their relatives, so they blunder into family secrets that might better be left alone.

The cast:

• Joseph Cross ("Lincoln") Davis Green is a chef, his girlfriend is a ballet dancer, and his college professor father, is an only child.
• Adelaide Clemens ("The Great Gatsby") Alexis Green never believed that her father had no relatives, so she unearths his brother's son, a cousin she finds REALLY appealing....
• Deborah Ann Wolf ("True Blood") Cassie wants Davis to herself so they can work on their relationship before she goes back to her ballet.
• Richard Schiff ("Kill the Messenger") Dr. Ronald Green is furious that his family secrets are in danger of being exposed, and he doesn't want to see his son tied down to anyone!
• Ricky Jay (Lots of TV) Uncle Josh works crossword puzzles in ink, just like his brother!

Dr. Green and Uncle Josh are both played by well-established character actors. We appreciate the quality of their work, unlike some of the other cast members. We laughed about the many plot holes in the script: some are simple oversights and others are illogical choices made by either the scriptwriters or the production design.

In addition, many in our screening audience were concerned about the stalking aspect of the situation and didn't trust the ending. At least no one boiled a bunny!