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.

The subject matter in "Surviving Family" was so relate-able right from the start, and I immediately connected with Terry. Her conceptions and beliefs about her family relationships were without question. But as the movie develops and secrets revealed, the transformation of each character's vulnerability is unveiled and changes your first impression of each family member. The subject matter is sensitive and everyone can relate to at least one of the issues that families tend to sweep under the rug.

The movie is well written and directed, has the right balance of humor, anger, communication and lack thereof, and the actors perfectly cast to their characters. And I must say, the final scene blew me away - totally was not expecting it! Well done!!

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.

Dear Mara Lesemann, Thanks so much for sharing "Surviving Family" with us! We loved it. We laughed and cried. The characters are so real and believable. I love getting absorbed in a film like yours, and feeling empathy for the characters, and really wanting them to fight through the pain of the past to get back to the joys of living. The interaction between the siblings rings so true -- love and annoyance and familiarity and clinging to past impressions. It makes me want to reach out to my siblings, and reminds me that we all go through the whole range of good and bad, but that our families are our permanent past of which we must make the best, for the sake of our future. Keeping creating and sending out your messages of art to the world, because it is stuff we all need to hear. And tell Carlo Fiorletta that his performance reminded me of the time that he was my supervisor at BT (just kidding, there were no nuns there...)

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.