A 666-Character Review of ‘Family’

Release Date
TBA
DIRECTOR
Benjamin Finkel
Our Score
7.4

Craving comfort & stability in the midst of her father’s deteriorating health, Johanna’s small ritual of inviting a protection spirit into her birdhouse goes wrong when something dark moves in with them. A lonely, slightly surreal existence that picks up in the middle of this family’s struggle to face the monster of mortality & looming, inescapable grief, a Dutch-angled demon sinks in. From the perspective of an 11 year old, director Benjamin Finkel does a wicked job of placing us in a world that doesn’t feel fair. One that pairs visual isolation with sparse interactions outside the home, and the psychological prison of frustration & blame. All eyes on Ben.

Family screened as part of SXSW 2024.

Reader Rating0 Votes
0
POS
Gently placed in 2002 (Love a DV camera)
Grief manifestation horror that doesn’t feel redundant
Elevated art-house sensibility with a Blumhouse pace
NEG
Third act crosses into surreality that isn’t PERSONALLY my bag
7.4

Zeen is a next generation WordPress theme. It’s powerful, beautifully designed and comes with everything you need to engage your visitors and increase conversions.