Natural Affection tells the story of a troubled young man who, abandoned early in life by his single mother, returns from reform school to find her now living with a lover. As the tension between them mounts, their fight for forgiveness and connection gives way to desperation, setting this insecure family on a collision course of reckless, heartbreaking and almost inevitable violence.
What Is the Story of Natural Affection?
Natural Affection tells the story of Sue Barker, who has built a successful career as a department store buyer in 1962 and who lives with (and supports) a younger lover in her small Chicago apartment. The arrival of Sue’s 17-year-old son, Donnie—who was sent to reform school after having spent his childhood in an orphanage—shakes up Sue's relationship with her lover and sets in motion a series of explosive confrontations on a booze-filled Christmas Eve.
