‘Family Portrait’ review: teetering on the edge of horror before diving in

Contents

• The panorama
  • • Family Portrait (2023)
• What is the ‘family portrait’ about?
• ‘Family Portrait’ Prepares for a Terrifying Finale
  • • • Family Portrait (2023)

The panorama

• Family photo
  Explores delirium and family connection, with an atmosphere of surreal terror.
• The sound design and well-framed shots contribute to the unsettling experience.
• The film addresses the pandemic and our tendency to become desensitized to looming crises.

Looking Family photo, writer-director Lucy Kerr’s riveting feature debut that begins as a slippery drama before gradually descending into something closer to the surreal. horrorI remembered how much I dislike taking family photos for Christmas cards. Ritual is defined by the desire to not just capture a moment in time to commemorate it, but to hold on to a happy construct, even when the reality of the situation may not match this, which can then be shared with the world. For Kerr, this disconnection is the entry point into a eerie, ephemeral look at a family that has gathered for what initially appears to be a normal day in Texas. As they begin to talk to each other, the dialogue often overlapping and drowning out, one gets the growing sense that something is constantly wrong. And yet, everyone carries on as if this is normal, almost never stopping to think about what is happening around them, even when death knocks at the door. It is then a portrait of family delirium as much as the connecting force that holds them together: a willful ignorance of anything that might disturb the false tranquility of the cursed reunion.

As this disturbing experience began to unravel, my mind jumped to… Other feature film debuts that inspire confidence like this year Inside the shell of the yellow cocoon and the recent SkinamarinkThis isn’t because Kerr is acting in the shadow of such visions – far from it. Instead, they are united by their distinctive approaches and their patience in letting a series of well-framed, if often modest, shots build up into something unexpected. Family photo, This is enhanced by sound design by Andrew Siedenburg and Nikolay Antonov. which starts with the feeling that you might be capturing naturally occurring noises before a cacophony of dread begins to work its way under your skin. The dread that is created has a lot to do with the way what we see doesn’t match what we feel. Something is wrong, but almost no one talks about it. Something bad is happening, but no one seems to care. Even if the fake family portrait were eventually taken, this is merely a fragment of the full picture.

What is the ‘family portrait’ about?

We open with a scene of a family milling around in a grassy field, their conversations initially silent. It’s like they’re underwater with a strange humming sound that nearly swallows up every sound they’re making. The camera pans back and forth with children running around in red Santa hats while the adults half-heartedly try to keep an eye on them all. In the midst of this, we see a singular figure desperately trying to drag everyone to a specific location. Katy (Deragh Campbell) is the nearest Family photo He has a central figure, as he is one of the few people who seems not only aware but alarmed by what is happening.. The fact that she also continues to cling to the importance of taking a photo above all else is deeply disturbing. After much herding, Katy manages to get the group to a spot for a photo and we begin to hear conversations more clearly. However, it still seems like no one is paying attention, as everyone is talking over each other before the title appears. The film then tries to follow Katy, her boyfriend Olek (Chris Galust), and the rest of the family as they spend the remaining day (or is it several?) together wandering through time.

To make this clear from the start, this is a movie that is, in part, about the looming pandemic. A key turning point comes when the characters briefly comment that someone has died off-screen from what they believe to be pneumonia. When this information is first told to Katy, Olek doesn’t seem to process it, even as he sits there before asking again if they’re still taking the picture. This is horrifying enough on its own, but The devastation we feel coming makes it even more so. However, While other films about the pandemic have been quite saccharine, Family photo is one of The few that feel more honest and enlightening..

It is distinguished by the way Kerr and the cinematographer Lydia Nikonova It frames everything, visually capturing the chilling feeling that comes from our tendency not to look at what’s important. A scene in which a character talks in detail about a photo of a family member (which we notably never see) before making a connection to the iconic film They live makes almost blatantly explicit what this film is talking about about our ability to numb ourselves to the illness at the center of our lives. Much of the rest of the film remains much more out of our reach, never once holding our hand as we watch the way Katy tries to bring everyone together just as her mother appears to disappear. There are moments where we see cracks begin to form in the boring interactions the family has, whether it’s a character shoving his hand deep into his mouth in what appears to be pain or two men having a conversation. strange about a live webcam from a cafe. flowerpot. The off-kilter tone is the point, as everything lasts too long and is perfectly framed in exactly the right way to create an unsettling feeling that you can’t shake. Campbell is equally excellent, with every expression he makes ensuring that the total immersion in the horror at the end is even more effective..

‘Family Portrait’ Prepares for a Terrifying Finale

Without going into too much detail, It’s around the 45 minute mark where Kerr makes some of his biggest leaps.Specifically, Katy abruptly breaks free from one environment to enter another. Although she wanders into the woods away from her family, it is an act that seems less liberating than restrictive, creating the feeling that we have become detached from what we previously tenuously clung to. Although the film already seemed less linearly constructed, this is where any foothold is completely lost. Kerr executes this change with confidence, never once feeling that he has lost control of what is still quite slippery material. Instead, he becomes more contemplative, although it sends shivers down the spine.

Too often, the images we see in movies can end up being simply consumed rather than considered. Kerr invites us to do more by consideringallowing us to watch as the already troubled Katy begins to distance herself from her family and potentially even life itself. This culminates in a series of devastating final shots that crush your feet and leave you feeling like something has broken. Although you may not know exactly what it is, this works in her favor and ensures that her ultimate impact remains inescapable. There is almost no dialogue in any of this, but everything speaks with an intensity that is still petrifying. If you are willing to take the step, it is an unsettling experience. Whether you finally come up for air or simply retreat back into the woods, well, that’s another thing entirely.

Family photo hits U.S. theaters starting June 28. Click below to see showtimes near you.

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