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!
Turn the River (2007)
6/10
Director: Chris Eigeman
Starring: Famke Janssen, Jaymie Dornan, Rip Torn, Matt Ross, Lois Smith, Terry Kinney
Famke Janssen plays Kailey, a woman who makes her living gambling and hustling pool in seedy bars. Her lifestyle drove a wedge between her and her hus... Read more
The Secret (2007)
6.4/10
Director: Vincent Perez
Starring: David Duchovny, Lili Taylor, Olivia Thirlby, Brendan Sexton III
Hannah (Lili Taylor) and Bill (David Duchovny) are married soul-mates with a teenage daughter, Sam (Olivia Thirlby); but when Hannah is killed in an a... Read more
King of California (2007)
6.7/10
Director: Mike Cahill
Starring: Michael Douglas, Evan Rachel Wood, Willis Burks II, Laura Kachergus, Paul Lieber
Recently released from a mental institution, Charlie (Michael Douglas) is reunited with his estranged teenage daughter, Miranda (Evan Rachel Wood) who... Read more
King Lear (McKellen) (2007)
8.3/10
Director: Trevor Nunn
Starring: Frances Barber, Ian McKellen, Jonathan Hyde
The Royal Shakespeare Company's adaptation of the famous tale of jealously and betrayal, filmed in high definition as it was performed live in 2007. K... Read more
And When Did You Last See Your Father? (2007)
Director: Anand Tucker
Starring: Jim Broadbent, Colin Firth, Juliet Stevenson, Gina McKee, Elaine Cassidy, Sarah...
Colin Firth and Jim Broadbent star in this adaptation of poet Blake Morrison's best-selling memoir that explores the complex relationship between fath... Read more
Towelhead (2007)
7/10
Director: Alan Ball
Starring: Summer Bishil, Peter Macdissi, Maria Bello, Aaron Eckhart, Toni Collette, Eugene...
Aka 'Nothing Is Private'. Writer Alan Ball ('American Beauty', 'Six Feet Under') makes his directorial debut with this controversial adaptation of Ali... Read more
Shotgun Stories (2007)
7.3/10
Director: Jeff Nichols
Starring: Michael Shannon, Douglas Ligon, Barlow Jacobs, Michael Abbott Jr, Natalie Canerd...
An intimate family drama and a tragedy of biblical proportions, this Southern gothic meditation on revenge and broken families is an understated stunn... Read more
Death at a Funeral ( Blu-ray ) (2007)
7.4/10
Director: Frank Oz
Starring: Ewen Bremner, Peter Dinklage, Matthew Macfadyen, Kris Marshall, Alan Tudyk
A black comedy with a dysfunctional British family gathering to mourn the passing of their patriarch. However, far from a dignified funeral, the mourn... Read more
The Good Life (2007)
6.5/10
Director: Stephen Berra
Starring: Mark Webber, Zooey Deschanel, Chris Klein, Bill Paxton, Harry Dean Stanton, Patr...
In small-town Nebraska, if you don't like football, you're persona non grata, so Jason Prayer (Mark Webber) isn't exactly Mr Popular. He escapes into... Read more
Ten Empty (2007)
5.3/10
Director: Anthony Hayes
Starring: Daniel Frederiksen, Geoff Morrell, Lucy Bell, Tom Budge, Brendan Cowell, Blazey...
When his mother died tragically after a protracted mental illness, Daniel left home; now ten years later he is returning to his father's house to be G... Read more