Dysfunctional Families
Perhaps because it's something nearly all of us can relate to (apart from The Bradys), messed-up families have always been a popular subject for filmmakers in all genres. Whether you're playing it for laughs ('Arrested Development', 'Go For Zucker'), drama ('Kramer vs Kramer', 'Nil By Mouth'), or thrills ('The Quiet Family', 'Olivier, Olivier') the family dynamic is a deep well of ready-made love/hate relationships, seething resentments and hidden secrets. What more could a filmmaker, or a film-watcher, ask for!
Dogman (2018)
7.3/10
Director: Matteo Garrone
Marcello is a mild-mannered dog groomer who commits petty crimes for Simoncino, a former boxer who terrorizes the neighborhood. When Simoncino's abuse... Read more
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
7.8/10
Director: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
Starring: Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, Alan Arkin, Abigail Breslin, Paul Dan...
A charming black comedy about life, death and junior beauty contests. Toni Collette and Greg Kinnear head an eccentric family that includes a potty-mo... Read more
After the Storm (2016)
7.4/10
Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda
Starring: Hiroshi Abe, Taiyo Yoshizawa, Yoko Maki
Dwelling on his past glory as a prize-winning author, Ryota wastes the money he makes as a private detective on gambling and can barely pay child supp... Read more
Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
8/10
Director: Woody Allen
Starring: Barbara Hershey, Carrie Fisher, Daniel Stern, Dianne Wiest, Lloyd Nolan, Maureen...
Woody Allen at his best: Sibling rivalry has never been so funny nor so poignant as in Woody Allen's Oscar-winning comedy-drama Hannah and Her Sisters... Read more
The Farewell (2019)
8/10
Director: Lulu Wang
Starring: Awkwafina Nora Lum, Tzi Ma
Billi's family returns to China under the guise of a fake wedding to stealthily say goodbye to their beloved matriarch -- the only person that doesn't... Read more
Jindabyne (2006)
6.3/10
Director: Ray Lawrence
Starring: Gabriel Byrne, Laura Linney, John Howard, Deborra-Lee Furness, Stelios Yiakmis,...
From the director of 'Lantana', this enigmatic psychodrama examines the consequences of the actions of four men who go on a fishing trip and don't all... Read more
Hereditary (2018)
7.5/10
Director: Ari Aster
Starring: Gabriel Byrne, Toni Collette, Ann Dowd, Alex Wolff, Millie Shapiro
When the matriarch of the Graham family passes away, her daughter and grandchildren begin to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about... Read more
The Wife (1995)
6.3/10
Director: Tom Noonan
Starring: Julie Hagerty, Tom Noonan, Wallace Shawn, Karen Young
Actor/writer/director Tom Noonan and Julie Hagerty star as Jack and Rita, a couple trapped in a fragile marriage who share their lives and professions... Read more
Mental (2012)
6.2/10
Director: P J Hogan
Starring: Anthony LaPaglia, Caroline Goodall, Deborah Mailman, Kerry Fox, Rebecca Gibney,...
"Mental" reunites writer-director P.J. Hogan with his original leading lady Toni Collette for the first time since "Muriel's Wedding". The film follow... Read more
On Golden Pond (1981)
7.7/10
Director: Mark Rydell
Starring: Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda, Katharine Hepburn, Doug McKeon, Dabney Coleman
Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn play an aging married couple, Norman and Ethel Thayer, spending a dramatic summer in the woods. Their estranged daug... Read more