'American Son' Trailer: Kerry Washington Calls Out Racial Injustice in Search for Her Missing Son (Video)

Film based on Broadway play written by Christopher Demos-Brown debuts on Netflix on Nov. 1

In the first full trailer for “American Son,” Kerry Washington lays down the law on the authorities, calling attention to the subtle forms of racism that we see in our society time and time again, especially in our law enforcement.

The trailer opens with a cop asking Washington if her missing son has any scars, gold teeth or tattoos, a characterization that doesn’t go over well with this mom.

“Keep your hands on the wheel boy! Look straight ahead. Don’t make any sudden moves,” she says mimicking a racist traffic stop. “Wouldn’t want to make the man in the bulletproof vest nervous when he’s pointing a Glock at your head.”

“American Son” tells the story of Kendra Ellis-Connor (Washington), the mother of a missing teenage boy, as she struggles to put the pieces together in a South Florida police station. The film aims to present four distinct viewpoints on the  racial divide and shows how an interracial couple tries to raise a mixed-race son.

The film is an adaptation of a Broadway play that Washington starred in back in November of last year. Christopher Demos-Brown wrote the drama about how racial tensions and biases seep into even the smallest of moments when you don’t expect it. And the filmed adaptation also brings back Tony winner Kenny Leon as director, as well as a cast that includes Jeremy Jordan and Eugene Lee as two of the police officers on Washington’s case and Steven Pasquale as Washington’s estranged husband.

Washington and Pilar Savone executive produced “American Son” under Washington’s production banner Simpson Street. Jeffrey Richards and Rebecca Gold also served as executive producers.

Netflix is debuting the film on their platform on Nov. 1 after having first premiered it at the Toronto Film Festival. Watch the new trailer via the Opportunity Agenda organization, which is a social justice communication lab that works to advance the impact of the social justice community.

Antonio Banderas, Kerry Washington and 95 More Portraits From TheWrap's Toronto Studio (Photos)

  • Robert Pattinson, director Robert Eggers and Willem Dafoe, “The Lighthouse” 

    Photographed by Irvin Rivera for TheWrap 

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  • Actress-producer Kerry Washington, “American Son” 

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  • Actor Antonio Banderas, “Pain and Glory” 

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  • Director Bryce Dallas Howard, “Dads” 

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  • Actress Isabelle Huppert, “Frankie” 

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  • Isabelle Huppert and director Ira Sachs, “Frankie” 

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  • Christopher Plummer, “Knives Out” 

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  • Actress Katherine Langford, “Knives Out” 

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  • Actor Jaeden Martell, “Knives Out” 

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  • Actress Jamie Lee Curtis, “Knives Out” 

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  • Actor Don Johnson, “Knives Out” 

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  • Actress Toni Collette, “Knives Out” 

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  • “Knives Out” cast and director Rian Johnson 

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  • Actors Finn Wittrock, Renée Zellweger and director Rupert Goold, “Judy” 

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  • Actress Cynthia Erivo, “Harriet” 

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  • Actor Leslie Odom Jr., “Harriet” 

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  • Director Kasi Lemmons, “Harriet” 

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  • “Harriet” cast with director Kasi Lemmons 

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  • Director Marielle Heller, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” 

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  • Actor Enrico Colantoni, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” 

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  • Actor Kelvin Harrison Jr, “Waves” 

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  • Actress Alexa Demie, “Waves” 

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  • Actor Lucas Hedges, “Waves” 

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  • Actor Taylor Russell, “Waves” 

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  • Director Trey Edward Shults, “Waves” 

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  • “Waves” cast and director Trey Edward Schults

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  • Actress Dakota Johnson, “The Friend” 

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  • Actor Jason Segel, “The Friend” 

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  • Producer Matthew Teague, stars Dakota Johnson, Jason Segel and director Gabriela Cowperthwaite, “The Friend” 

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  • Actor Jamie Dornan, “Synchronic”

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  • Actors Jamie Dornan and Ally Ioannides, “Synchronic”

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  • Ally Ioannides, co-director Justin Benson, Jamie Dornan and co-director Aaron Moorhead, “Synchronic” 

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  • Actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas, “The Sky Is Pink” 

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  • Priyanka Chopra Jonas and director Shonali Bose, “The Sky Is Pink”

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  • Actress Isla Fisher, “Greed” 

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  • Actors Isla Fisher and Steve Coogan, “Greed” 

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  • Beanie Feldstein, “How to Build a Girl”

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  • Actor Alfie Allen, “How to Build a Girl” 

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  • Actors Alfie Allen and Beanie Feldstein, “How to Build a Girl”

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  • Director Coky Giedroyc, writer Caitlin Moran, actress Beanie Feldstein and actor Alfie Allen, “How to Build a Girl” 

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  • Actress Bolude Watson, “Hearts and Bones” 

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  • Actor Andrew Luri, “Hearts and Bones”

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  • Actor Hugo Weaving, “Hearts and Bones” 

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  • “Hearts and Bones” cast and director Ben Lawrence 

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  • Director Gabe Polsky and producer Steven Warshaw, “Red Penguins” 

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  • Actor Kyle Marvin and actor-director-writer Michael Angelo Covino, “The Climb” 

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  • Actor Alex Wolff, “Bad Education”

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  • Actor Ray Romano, “Bad Education” 

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  • Actors Hari Dhilon, Allison Janney, Rafael Casal, Geraldine Viswanathan, Ray Romano, Alex Wolff, Mike Makowsky, and director Cory Finley, “Bad Education” 

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  • Director Peter Cattaneo, actors Sharon Horgan and Jason Flemyng,”Military Wives” 

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  • Director Ellen Page, “There’s Something in the Water” 

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  • Director-actor Taika Waititi, “Jojo Rabbit”

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  • Actor Roman Griffin Davis, “Jojo Rabbit”

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  • Actor Alfie Allen, “Jojo Rabbit”

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  • Actor Stephen Merchant, “Jojo Rabbit” 

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  • “JoJo Rabbit” Cast and Director Taika Waititi

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  • Actor Gael García Bernal, “Ema” 

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  • Actress Mariana Di Girolamo, “Ema” 

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  • Actor Santiago Cabrera, “Ema”  

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  • Gael Garcia Bernal, Mariana Di Girolamo, Santiago Santiago Cabrera and director Pablo Larraín, “Ema” 

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  • Actress-writer-director Julie Delpy, “My Zoe” 

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  • Actor Richard Armitage, “My Zoe” 

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  • Richard Armitage and Julie Delpy, “My Zoe” 

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  • Director Halina Reijn, “Instinct” 

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  • Actress Carice van Houten, “Instinct” 

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  • Actress Valerie Pachner, “A Hidden Life” 

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  • Actor August Diehl, “A Hidden Life” 

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  • Actor Stellan Skarsgård, “Hope” 

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  • Actors Andrea Bræin Hovig, Stellan Skarsgård and director Maria Sødahl, “Hope” 

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  • Actors Laysla De Oliveira and Rossif Sutherland, “Guest of Honour” 

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  • Writer-director Makoto Shinkai, “Weathering With You” 

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  • Actor Daniel Radcliffe, “Guns Akimbo” 

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  • Actress Samara Weaving, “Guns Akimbo” 

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  • Director Jason Lei Howden, Samara Weaving and Daniel Radcliffe, “Guns Akimbo”

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  • Actor Charlie Hunnam, “True History of The Kelly Gang” 

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  • George Mackay, “True History of the Kelly Gang” 

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  • Director Justin Kurzel, “True History of the Kelly Gang” 

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  • Director Justin Kurzel, stars Essie Davis, George Mackay and Charlie Hunnam, “True History of the Kelly Gang” 

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  • Josh and Ben Safdie, Adam Sandler, “Uncut Gems”

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  • Actress Idina Menzel, “Uncut Gems” 

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  • Actor Kevin Garnett, “Uncut Gems” 

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  • Actress Julia Fox, “Uncut Gems” 

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  • Actor LaKeith Stanfield, “Uncut Gems” 

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  • “Uncut Gems” cast and directors Josh and Ben Safdie  

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  • Edgar Ramírez, “Wasp Network”

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  • Actor Wagner Moura, “Wasp Network” 

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  • Director Olivier Assayas, stars Wagner Moura, Édgar Ramirez and Gael García Bernal, “Wasp Network”

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  • Actor Alex Wolff, “Human Capital” 

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  • Maya Hawke and Alex Wolff, “Human Capital”

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  • Betty Gabriel, director Marc Meyers, Maya Hawke and Alex Wolff, “Human Capital” 

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  • Actors Willem Dafoe, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Edward Norton, “Motherless Brooklyn” 

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  • Actor Claes Bang, “The Burnt Orange Heresy” 

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  • Director Giuseppe Capotondi, “The Burnt Orange Heresy”

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  • Director Hirokazu Koreeda, “The Truth” 

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  • Actor Jonathan Pryce, “The Two Popes” 

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  • Writer Anthony McCarten, director Fernando Meirelles, actors Jonathan Pryce and Juan Minujín, “The Two Popes” 

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  • Actress Malky Goldman, writer-director Keith Thomas, actors Dave Davis and Menashe Lustig, “The Vigil” 

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Toronto Film Festival 2019: Robert Pattinson, Renée Zellweger, LaKeith Stanfield and more stop by TheWrap’s studio in the Thompson Hotel

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