Linda White, a Christian housewife, lives in sexual frustration. Her 24-year marriage is abstinent because—after learning she was barren at a young age—she and her husband Abe (John Diehl) hold to a religious conviction preventing them from copulating without the intent of procreating. However, for over 20 years, unbeknownst to Linda (Rachael Harris), Abe has been regularly making donations to the local fertility clinic and has sired dozens of children. He suffers a massive stroke on one of his visits. Once Linda learns of Abe’s secret, she decides to find Raymond (Matt O’Leary), Abe’s oldest child, and reunite them before Abe dies. Who she finds is an ex-con drug addict screw-up who tries to use everyone with whom he comes into contact. Natural Selection is a quirky odd-couple comedy about flawed people learning to find peace with their flaws.

My initial reaction to the first few scenes of the film was a combination of repulsion and confusion. A prison break scene occurs in one of the most uncomfortable ways imaginable. It’s not quite a “Slumdog Millionaire escape,” but it’s up there. Then Linda wakes up next to Abe to find him harboring a pitched tent, but unwilling to have sex with her. Her self-consciousness sends her to the bathroom to clean, scrub, and erase any trace of unattractiveness that may be keeping him from physical contact, but she returns to find him praying quite a selfish and sarcastic prayer about removal of her “womanhood” being the cause for their sexless existence. It took me, perhaps, 30 minutes before I realized that the movie is supposed to be a comedy. This is not as much of a criticism as it is recognition that Natural Selection is not a run-of-the-mill romantic comedy/road movie/triumph-of-spirit film. The humor is steeped in a marinade of dry wit and screwball comedy, which is played out by non-traditional characters that remain heightened, even absurd, versions of real people as they face unpredictable situations.

Harris is superb as Linda. Her honest portrayal of a sheltered but strong housewife on a mission grabs the audience’s support without requiring its sympathy. Harris plays the nuance between naiveté and weakness spot on. As Linda’s husband’s biological son, O’Leary artfully rides the line between the detestable vagrant and the vulnerable loner. First-time feature director Robbie Pickering was able to engender honest performances out of the leads, which bring the audience along for this zany ride. The supporting cast gives good performances, but the characters, for the most part, are common caricatures. They are used sparingly and wisely, adding to the central story without overfilling it with subtext.

Overall, I liked this film. It’s more of a slow cooker than a hibachi-style burn. It has to grow on you. The storytelling is textured and honest. It tells an age-old story of a character going on a journey to find someone else but ends up finding herself.

Limité Rating: 4/5

Director: Robbie Pickering

Screenwriter: Robbie Pickering

Cast: Rachael Harris, Matt O’Leary, Jon Gries, John Diehl

Genre: Comedy

Runtime: 90 min.

Release Date: March 16 (NY) with national release to follow