Surviving Family

My Grade:  B

If you know me or have read my reviews, you have heard me go on and on about independent cinema and how much it has to offer in the vein of fresh, original content and undiscovered talent.  If you haven’t heard that from me, you have now.  I recently got the good fortune to connect with Mara Lesemann who wrote and produced a drama called Surviving Family.  She enjoyed my reviews enough to want my semi-expert opinion on the film, so I viewed it and enjoyed it.  As with all films, it’s not without its problems, though.

As a writer, I tend to talk mostly about story... and this story is fine.  Terry (played by the gorgeous Sarah Wilson) is about to marry california dream-boat, Alex (Billy Magnussen), but they have only known each other for six months!  When they go to see Terry’s family, things have changed since the last time she had been home... almost two years ago.  The family borders on dysfunctional at times, but tend to come through for each other when they really need each other.  They do have a rough history, though.

This film captures the idea that every family has its problems.  It’s slow at times and some scenes are too long, but that’s how these family gatherings are.  It’s a lot of talking and reminiscing.  The biggest issue I have with the story is how it seems to dwell in the past. The characters all have their problems because of their past, so it’s natural that the past will come up; however, it slows the pace a bit much for my tastes (but it’s a drama, so slow is fine).  The film itself dwells in the past, too, by showing numerous flashbacks; some of which are VERY striking because they are completely silent.  This was a bit off putting at first, but I feel they are more powerful because they are silent.

There are some extremely touching moments in the film.  I’m not one to cry in a film and I didn’t almost cry, but I could see where someone would cry... especially at one particular moment:  Terry is at her most vulnerable and Alex says a beautiful line that immediately strengthens her, dries her tears, and puts a smile on her face.  (That was my way of trying to explain the moment without spoiling anything... I hope it worked.)

The thing that stands out the most in this film is the look of it.  Timothy Naylor’s cinematography is wonderful.  It won’t blow you away and Naylor doesn’t take a lot of chances with super complicated shots or weird angles, but it’s exactly what it needs to be.  The lighting is great, too.  Almost every time we see Sarah Wilson she looks like an angel as the sun dances off her hair.  And the unorthodox wedding looks good for what it is.  It looks thrown together... but that’s the point.  And I must say that it’s thrown together pretty well.

The only other issue I have with the film is some of the acting.  The entire cast is great at times and just okay at times.  Some of the emotional scenes seem forced but some of them are great.  Some of the lighthearted comedy scenes get a bit awkward, but most work very well.  This is definitely a talented cast but they do have their ups and downs.

Overall, Surviving Family is a wonderful first foray in the feature realm for director Laura Thies and writer/producer Mara Lesemann.  I’m not a huge fan of straight drama, but I was pulled in by this film.  The story flows well and is touching at times, the cinematography works very well, and the cast has moments of brilliance.