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!
Once Were Warriors (1994)
7.9/10
Director: Lee Tamahori
Starring: Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell, Rena Owen, Temuera Morrison, Cliff Curtis, Julian Arahang...
Director Lee Tamahori's stunning debut film focuses on a violent love story set against a contemporary urban backdrop. This insightful, gutsy drama fe... Read more
When A Man Loves A Woman (1994)
6.6/10
Director: Luis Mandoki
Starring: Andy Garcia, Meg Ryan, Ellen Burstyn, Tina Majorino
Standout performances as Meg Ryan plays Andy Garcia's alcoholic wife. She gets help, but it takes its toll on their marriage. They try to pick up the... Read more
My Favourite Season ( Ma Saison Preferee ) (1993)
Director: Andre Techine
Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Daniel Auteuil, Marthe Villalonga, Jean-Pierre Bouvier, Carme...
When their aging mother is faced with encroaching infirmity, middle-aged brother and sister Emilie (Catherine Deneuve) and Antoine (Daniel Auteuil) ar... Read more
Olivier Olivier (1993)
7.6/10
Director: Agnieszka Holland
Starring: Francois Cluzet, Brigitte Rouan, Gregoire Colin
A brooding, based-on-fact account of a country couple whose young son mysteriously disappears. Six years later he 'reappears' but is no longer the spe... Read more
The Snapper (1993)
7.2/10
Director: Stephen Frears
Starring: Tina Kellegher, Ruth McCabe, Colm Meaney, Brendan Gleeson
A wonderful adaptation of Roddy Doyle's novel about a working-class Irish family and the teenage daughter who finds herself pregnant - a circumstance... Read more
The Joy Luck Club (1993)
7.6/10
Director: Wayne Wang
Starring: Kieu Chinh, Tsai Chin, France Nuyen, Lisa Lu
Amy Tan's sensational bestseller receives first rate treatment from director Wayne Wang as he explores the turbulent lives of four uncompromising Chin... Read more
Benny's Video (1992)
7.2/10
Director: Michael Haneke
Starring: Angela Winkler, Ulrich Muhe, Arno Frisch, Ingrid Stassner
Benny is a disaffected teen whose life has begun to revolve around the violent films he watches, but his obsession soon crosses the line between voyeu... Read more
Passed Away (1992)
5.9/10
Director: Charlie Peters
Starring: Bob Hoskins, William Petersen, Jack Warden, Blair Brown, Tim Curry, Frances McDo...
A darkly humorous account of how an offbeat family deals with the death and funeral of the clan patriarch. Bob Hoskins, William Petersen and Blair Bro... Read more
Father Of The Bride (1991)
6.5/10
Director: Charles Shyer
Starring: Diane Keaton, Kieran Culkin, Martin Short, Steve Martin, Kimberly Williams, Geor...
A good remake of the '50s comedy masterpiece about a father unwilling to let go of his little girl. Steve Martin, Diane Keaton and Martin Short star. Read more
The Little Gangster ( Le Petit Criminel ) (1990)
7.1/10
Director: Jacques Doillon
Starring: Richard Anconina, Clotilde Courau, Gerald Thomassin, Jocelyne Perhirin
The 'petit criminel' of the title is an unhappy child to an alcoholic mother who sees a glimmer of hope in the news of a missing discovered older sist... Read more