A crisis in a family can bring the best and worst out of people. What seems to be a societal norm and a traditionalist approach to defining a civil society, thefamily as an institution is far from perfect. Films have always taken a special interest in unraveling the hidden skeletons of a family, which might question the function of a family. Most of these films look at families as a front to dissolve the individual of its flaws as a character finds himself torn between responsibilities and morality.
Families are not perfect, but are necessary, allegedly. The secrets within a family are normally the missing piece explaining the dysfunction in a family, and here are 10 films that show the real consequences of family secrets.
Related:20 Best Comedy Movies About Dysfunctional Families
10Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?is a story that takes place one night when an unfortunate couple is invited for dinner at their colleague’s quarters.Elizabeth Taylor plays Martha, who is married to George, played by Richard Burton. What seems to be a chaotic marriage between Martha and George, turns out to be even more sinister when the cause of the distress is revealed between the couple. Thefilm was nominated for 13 Academy Awards, winning 5, including Best Actress for Taylor, Best Supporting Actress for Sandy Dennis, and Best Cinematography. The film is considered to be a classic from Hollywood’s Golden Era and is mostly quoted for the performance of the leading actors, who were famously married twice in real life. The film is an adaptation of the play of the same name written by Edward Albee and is considered one of the best adaptations of a play.
9August: Osage County
August: Osage Countyis a tragicomedy about a dysfunctional familystarring Meryl Streep as Violet, who is the matriarch of the family. Her family, which includes her three daughters, their partner, and her sister’s family, join her after Violet’s husband commits suicide by drowning. What happens next reveals the worst side of every member of the family, which is a result of the dark secrets everyone hides from each other. However, every bean is spilled, and the family realizes it is best to stay away from each other. The film has a star cast including Julia Roberts, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ewan McGregor, and Juliette Lewis. Both Streep and Roberts were nominated for their performances at the Academy Awards for portraying the turbulent relationship between a mother and daughter who cannot seem to come to the same page for having issues of their own.
8American Beauty
American Beauty,directed by Sam Mendes, is a film about a suburban American family and their repressed desires. Kevin Spacey plays Lester Burnham, who is having a midlife crisis and is struggling to find meaning as a husband and an employee at his company. Things go south once Lester quits his job and finds out about his wife’s affair. Lester attempts to turn over a new leaf with newer interests in recreational pursuits and having sexual desires with a high schooler. However, things do not end well for Lester.
The film wasMendes’s directorial debut and won five Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Actor for Spacey. It’s known for its interpretations of the American suburban culture and the dullness of monotonous life. It almost feels like Lester was punished for breaking away from societal norms in his secret life as a rebel.
Get Outis Jordan Peele’s spin on the genre of the social thriller. On the surface it feels like a typical horror movie but is actually a story about black representation. The film follows an interracial couple, Chris and Rose. Chris being a black man has second thoughts about visiting Rose’s family. However, Rose assures her family is very progressive, only for Chris to find out the family does not have the best intentions for his community.
Get Outis iconic in many ways, especially for targeting the liberal hypocrisy in terms of the racial discourse in America rather than questioning the conventional conservative perspective.Peele was awarded the Academy Awardfor Best Screenplay, which is incredible for his directorial debut. However, Peele had already made his mark as a biracial satirist being a part of the comedy duo, Key and Peele with his comedy partner, Keegan Michael Key.
6My Sister’s Keeper
My Sister’s Keeperis a drama film that is a heartfelt story about a family coping with cancer. The film stars Cameron Diaz as Sara Fitzgerald, who is the mother of cancer-stricken daughter, Kate. However, her younger daughter sues her mother for using her as the stem sister for her elder sister. As the story unfolds, it is revealed that Kate has kept her own secrets to help end the madness in her family and help her mother cope with her illness. The film is difficult to watch as one witnesses the hardships of a family collectively coping with cancer. Although the film received mixed reviews for being overdramatic,Diaz’s performance is unmissable as she proves her versatility as an actress. The film was based on Jodi Picoult’s novel of the same name and has a different ending than the film.
5Shoplifters
Shopliftersis a Japanese film that was inspired by poverty and shoplifting in Japan.The film explores the concept of family,especially blood relationships, through a family who abducts a girl and is warmly raised in a family. The family survives on shoplifting and maintains a low profile. However, after the young son of the family gets arrested, secrets are revealed which question theirloyalty and self-centeredness in existing as a family.
The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Palme d’Or. The film was also nominated in the International category at the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards. The film was applauded for its naturalism, and Kore-eda was praised for handling a sensitive subject with compassion.
4We Need to Talk About Kevin
We Need to Talk About Kevinis based on the novel of the same name by Lionel Shriver. The film follows Tilda Swinton as Eva, who is struggling to bond with her son, Kevin, who sufferers from psychopathic tendencies. After her son commits a horrifying act, Eva has to deal with the consequences of the act. The film is known to be one ofSwinton’s finest performances, as she delivers a challenging performance in the horror thriller. The film explores how a parent deals with a sociopathic child and has to keep the socially unjustifiable behavior under the carpet. The truth of Eva being a reluctant mother is an even bigger secret, which becomes an integral part of the story. The film has a non-linear structure and enticing visual imagery, which makes the film an engaging watch.
3Secrets and Lies
Secrets and Lies,is a Mike Leigh directorial which is a dark family drama that stars Marianne Jean Batiste as Hortense, a black optometrist in search of her biological mother. She is shocked when she finds out her mother is a lower-class white woman. As the two begin to bond, secrets begin to unveil which complicated her relationship with her mother.The film is based in Londonand was well-received by the audience.
The dramatic scenesbetween Marianne and Brenda Blethyn was highly applauded, and both were nominated for Academy Awards for their performance. The film was inspired by real-life experiences observed by Leigh in his life and also wanted to make a film that portrayed the black community in their search for roots and identity, changing the ghetto stereotypes of black characters in film.
2Gone Girl
Directed by David Fincher,Gone Girlis a psychological thriller based on the book of the same name Gillian Flynn. The film stars Rosamund Pike as Amy, who is married to a successful New York-based writer,played by Ben Affleck.The couple portrays their life to be picture-perfect, but there are darker secrets Amy hides from Nick. Amy goes missing on the couple’s fifth wedding anniversary, making her husband the prime suspect for her disappearance while Amy goes on a spree, fulfilling her cruel intentions. Pike was applauded for her performance and was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance.
The film subverts the character of the male psychopath with a female character equally twisted and compellingly dangerous. It questions the notion of the naturally good woman popular in movies and goes overboard in convincing women could be equally dangerous as men.
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1The Deep End
The Deep Endis a hard-to-miss thriller starringTilda Swinton as Margaret, who is a mother capable of doing the worst to protect her son. When her son’s lover’s dead body is discovered in front of their house, Martha decides to hide the body to protect her son. However, she has to pay the price for concealing the crime, as she is not the only one to know about the crime. The film is loosely based on the novel, The Blank Wall, by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding. It is known for its haunting cinematography and Swinton’s performance as an emotionally helpless mother. The film experiments with genre, characters, and structure, which made it a critical favorite as well.
