Relative

I absolutely love this film. Michael Glover Smith's style, writing and direction is warm, inviting, funny, clever yet not cheesy or predictable at all. The production is very high quality for an independent film. The real sites in Chicago made this tiny universe feel lived in and real. The editing was smooth yet not over-produced. There were wonderful references to music, movies, literature and theatre peppered throughout. The acting is SUPERB. From seasoned veterans like Wendy Robie and Francis Guinan, who brought gravitas to newcomers like Elizabeth Stam who was delightful. Emily Lape, a filmmaker in her own right, brought a sweetness and sadness to the ensemble that was mesmerizing. I also loved the little moments from the extras like "Skokie man," Hopleaf bartender and Norma's Daughter. Go see this film, in the theatre. It's stunning. Don't you dare miss it!

How interesting. I'm the first person here who didn't rate the film an 8 or higher. That's kinda weird. It's almost like everybody who left reviews were friends or family of people who were involved with the film. Hmmm...

Now that we got that out of the way, here's my review. It's a cute little indie film set in Chicago. It's ver slice of life-ish. But honestly, not a lot actually happens in the film. I thought the acting was okay. Not great. Not bad. Probably the weakest part of the movie was the writing. It could have been better A good part of the dialogue was pretty stilted and didn't feel natural.

But overall, I thought it was decent. Just didn't grab my attention and I found myself fast forwarding to get to the end. And in the end, not a lot really happened.

Michael Glover Smith's fourth film and his best yet. He very confidently juggles a large ensemble of characters, giving each one their own choice moments without it feeling contrived. They're all recognizable, flawed human beings sketched out with compassion. But he also doesn't offer excuses for anyone's behavior. And his cinematic technique "feels" very restrained and understated, so that when he does reach for a special moment it doesn't feel like he's just showing off. (A beautiful "circle of time" shot which captures the transition of time passing is only one example.) This straightforward quality keeps everything grounded. The entire cast is excellent; Wendy Robie's touching and warm-hearted portrayal of the family's matriarch will surely open the eyes of many viewers who know her only from Nadine on "Twin Peaks." Bravo.

A title with multiple meanings tied up neatly with a bow of compassion and an abundance of thriving and a bit of merely surviving. Relative was unlike anything I ever experienced as my existence as a human on this earth. You see, there was every movie that I saw before and now there is Relative, the bench mark for every movie I see from here on out. The way the characters went flowing through the scenes and the delicious conversations they had my full attention, my favorite quote being "I could drink a case of you and still be on my feet", a statement that brought the film to new heights. There were many memorable lines, another being about how marriage is just putting one foot in front of the other. Such well fleshed out characters all gave a heartbeat to this film. (It is so rare to have characters that all have an individual personality but meld as a unit also.) This gem. This work of art. I am overwhelmed with everything that this movie made me feel about life, love, family, and what it means to exist, grow up, change, and do that within a fluid unit. Truly, I am unable to fully put into words the way the cinematographer was able to convince me of the pure beauty of the simple and make the ordinary the extraordinary. I was in love with the piano 🎹 pieces that were selected for this film. It was delightful. The house and settings were simply breathtaking and their own characters in their own right. Growing up in the suburbs and traveling through the city often, I know that blue line stop, I know Old Orchard Road. It was magnificent the way the characters played off each other and something like a graduation to bring the family together brought a genuine and raw quality of what it means to grow up. Do we ever really "grow up?" The movie was a delight to me from start to finish. I wanted to rewatch it the moment it ended. That is the hallmark of a masterpiece.

I saw this last night and it was great. A great assemble piece of incredible Chicago acting talent. Each of Micheal's films explore relationships, family and always has satisfying endings.