Customer Reviews

Familia

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Anything dealing with mothers and daughters, I know is usually not going to be a feel-good movie. Unless you've been one of the lucky ones with a stellar maternal relationship, it is inevitably going to be a movie full of angst.

That said, I first want to address the good acting, solid scriptwriting, and a well-cast bunch of characters in this film. The opening and closing scenes tie back into the eternal debate of nature vs. nurture - how much of who we are is genetically imprinted in the billions of cells roaming around inside our bodies.

The implication here was "like mother, like daughter." And do we inherit our addictions as well?

This movie was about women, for women, but probably can be enjoyed by everyone. Even if you haven't had a good relationship with your mother, this movie makes it look like a cake walk compared to the dysfunction within the Familia.

There are a couple of surprises, although you might have seen it coming. Overall, an intense, but enjoyable look at the dynamics of the mother/daughter thing.

Louise Archambault's first true feature film Familia is a quirky family drama that makes an attempt at exposing real feelings in the bounds of a film about family and friendships.

Sylvie Moreau plays Michele a down on her luck single mother trying to raise her teenage daughter (Mylène St-Sauveur) while supporting a gambling addiction. Due to an abusive relationship she heads out on the road and winds up living in the home of achildhood friend , Janine (Macha Grenon) also a mother with a teen daughter. Janine appears to live the perfect existence with an absent husband but there are cracks under the surface here also.

The film explores the relationships between mothers and daughters over three generations. While the actaul events that drive the plot seem somewhat contrived at times, Archambault's intentions are good and this is a well made independent film that is worth a view.

Released as part of the Film Movement series the main feature is paired with the short Recycle about a homeless poet in Los Angeles.

Excellent story, wonderful acting!

The plot is very well written and developed,
the relationships between women of different generations, and even men and women are presented in an exquisite way!

For me, a little bonus was the very cute way the Canadians speak French, very enjoyable nasal pronunciation :P

I have seen this twice. It is an enjoyable story about women, who happen to have children. I wouldn't say it is specifically about mothers and daughters....as there are themes of addiction, cheating, and adolescence going on too.

A good chick flick for sure.

Familia is a film for everyone, but especially for and about women. Unlike the standard Hollywood "chick flick", Familia explores a serious question in a tragicomic manner. This first effort of Quebecois director Louise Archambault won recognition at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival.

Archambault's twist on the heredity versus environment question is posed in terms of whether daughters are fated to display the same negative characteristics as their mothers. This serious premise is treated in a frequently hilarious manner as the film explores the relationships among three generations of women from two very different backgrounds.

On one side we have Michèle, her mother and her daughter Marguérite. Michèle is a gambling addict who is constantly in a state of denial about the chaos of her bohemian life. Jobless and homeless because of her gambling, she is eternally upbeat as she lies her way out of one crisis and into the next. Her redeeming quality is that she truly loves her daughter, even though she is far too unstable to be a role model. On the other side is Janine, her mother and her daughter Gaby. Janine is an uptight suburban mother who keeps too tight a rein on her already well-behaved daughter. When the two families come together, they have a lot to learn from one another.