In the Family
2011 Directed by Patrick Wang
Synopsis
In the town of Martin, Tennessee, Chip Hines, a precocious six year old, has only known life with his two dads, Cody and Joey. And a good life it is. When Cody dies suddenly in a car accident, Joey and Chip struggle to find their footing again. Just as they begin to, Cody's will reveals that he named his sister as Chip's guardian. The years of Joey's acceptance into the family unravel as Chip is taken away from him. In his now solitary home life, Joey searches for a solution. The law is not on his side, but friends are. Armed with their comfort and inspired by memories of Cody, Joey finds a path to peace with the family and closer to his son.
Cast
Genre
Popular reviews
More-
Patrick Wang's debut film is a beautifully realized tale of a gay man who finds himself embroiled in a bitter custody battle for his young son after his partner, the boy's biological father, dies suddenly of an unexpected illness. Even at nearly 3 hours long, the film never overstays its welcome. It's a powerful and understated celebration of family in all its forms. The last shot is absolutely killer.
-
Has an incredibly disarming belief in human goodness, and an awe-inspiring respect for its characters.
-
Patrick Wang multi-hyphenates all over In the Family, about a gay man—not that he's ever defined/confined as such—whose husband dies, throwing his relationship with his husband's biological son whom he has raised for 6 years into legal turmoil. It's neither political jeremiad nor fiery melodrama, though. It's a mild-mannered, naturalistic procedural about a homophobic society—not just the heartland but federal law—working against family values and the integration of non-traditional relationships into extended family groups.
The scene where Patrick Wang, as Joey Williams, gets the news that his husband has died encapsulates the film's style. It's dark out, and Wang cuts to outside the hospital and up a bit, looking down through the windows at the three actors: Joey with his…
-
Hold on – it'll take me a few minutes to stop weeping before I can review this movie.
Recent reviews
More-
Review found here: battleshippretension.com/?p=10920
-
This groundbreaking film is a must-see. Never before has this subject matter been tackled so profoundly, in showing how the complexities of gay rights in the legal system can tear apart lives. While some may criticize this movie for being overly long, the pace never feels like it's plodding along, and the payoff is incredible. Fantastic performances by all, especially by writer/director/actor Patrick Wang. Can you believe this is the first movie he's made? What a talent!
Just see it. Then tell everyone you know about it.
-
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/joey-353691-chip-family.html
-
I didn't know it was possible to make a film that is at once bursting with optimism about humanity's goodness and at the same time styled in the sort of unconventional way that Stanley Kubrick would adore. I ranked it as the best film of 2012, with a bullet.
-
I drove 75 miles in a snowstorm to see In the Family, and I'd do it again too. (150 miles of driving for 169 minutes of cinema.) Is it the best film about family since How Green Was My Valley? I have no idea. That it even occurs to me to ask that question is ridiculous. You'll remember leaving the theatre, I know that much, you'll remember that feeling.
If it doesn't play near you (i.e. within a 75 mile radius), just watch this scene over and over until you break the player, and know that it's not the best scene in the film, not even close. "Does that mean I can't see him?": you could tell from a single…
-
“In the Family,” the debut feature of writer/director/actor Patrick Wang, pulls off the elegant task of being a film that is political, but not politically charged. This small, but vital distinction–the difference between a work that enlightens and a work that lectures–is the staple of the movie’s success. Too many filmmakers, especially first-timers, are so passionate about their hot-button material that they overload it to hammer home their thesis. But not Wang, who puts his characters first, respecting that the audience can apply the story to the issues all by themselves.
Most popular works about the changing family structures of the 21st Century, from “Modern Family” to “Glee,” fail to be truly progressive in that they constantly try to prove…
-
"That's fine, Joey, you take all the time you need" indeed. Warm, expansive, finely-tuned. First-timer tics forgiven.
-
Review for Spectrum Culture.
-
Patrick Wang's debut film is a beautifully realized tale of a gay man who finds himself embroiled in a bitter custody battle for his young son after his partner, the boy's biological father, dies suddenly of an unexpected illness. Even at nearly 3 hours long, the film never overstays its welcome. It's a powerful and understated celebration of family in all its forms. The last shot is absolutely killer.