Surviving Family

I found this to be a very touching movie. I would give it a ten out of ten. When you watch it you just get this feeling of sympathy for all of the characters and can completely relate to some parts. I found some of the acting and connection between certain characters to be phenomenal, especially the connection between Tara and Phyllis, their chemistry was very touching.I defiantly had to fight some tears back during the movie. After seeing the movie i went out to get some dinner with some close friends who had also seen it and sure enough the only thing we talked about was the movie.Though it is not the best movie I have seen, I was definitely left in awe when the the screen went blank.

This film is a great film from Writer/Producer Mara Lesemann and Director Laura Thies. This film kept my interest from start to finished. It was well written and well filmed almost like it was done by a major studio. I love the story of how Terry found happiness with a new husband even with all the bad things in her life. I am looking forward to seeing more films done by this writer and director. I found out about this movie through another writer/director that referred me to Mara and love having a good friendship with many actors,directors, writers and producers. I strongly feel that films done by independent film companies can be just as good as ones done by major studios. I highly recommend everyone to watch this film. You will love it as much as I do.

About halfway through this film, as we were continuing to unravel the mysteries of Tara, her family, and her past, it occurred to me that the script had to have been written by a woman. Nothing wrong with that, but the men seemed to pop in for a few minutes and then disappear. The father, literally. The brother, most of the time, except for his reappearance at the wedding. An old boyfriend at the bar, her sister's first husband "for about six weeks."

Not sure why Aunt Mary's role had her heading to Atlantic City with the senior citizens, rather than making the wedding, but her disappearance seemed odd as well.

Okay, I get it. Families are hard, esp. when mom is bipolar. Oh, and now the niece is too. Will this same malady be visited on the newborn?

Then there were the actors: easy on the eyes but somehow missing the touch of reality that comes from better acting. The sister in particular looked like her face was pinched. The Say Yes to the Dress scene added very little to the film, and the wedding cake bit didn't provide much either.

The entire film felt like someone had a bipolar member in the family, it hit hard, led to years of therapy, and was turned into a film.

Thumbs down.

Surviving Family, is as good as a movie comes for indie productions, I thoroughly enjoyed watching, it was well written, well shot and well acted, a breath of fresh air compared to the Hollywood factory. With actors portraying family members we can all relate to, it draws us into the movie with compelling performances scene after scene. The good reviews it has received so far are purely fair comment on a deserving piece of work. I especially found the actors believable, which is often lacking on low budget films where casting is often an afterthought. Unsurprisingly it has had it's fair share of prizes and awards. If you haven't watched an indie film before then this will be a revelation to see what can be done without big names and even bigger budgets.

Not literal ghosts ... although I reckon some may feel that way. Our own family may seem crazy to us, but sometimes if we compare it to other families ... they might be quite sane in comparison. That being said, this is a low budget effort and I am quite surprised it gathered so much festival love (I reckon the prizes and nominations are from that - I might be wrong).

That being said, the movie is really well done. Interesting relationships and well performed (good) dialog too. Something that is not really a given in low budget movies, but usually I try to give/cut them slack if that happens. Pacing is good, but may be too slow for some. Depending on where you come from, you may cherish this or be annoyed by it. Just be sure to know what this is (about) and if it is something you want to see in general.