FAMILY PORTRAIT Trailer: On the Precipice of Quiet Disaster
Locarno might not be as well known to the general public as other European festivals, but their programming has been amazing for several years, leaning into the more experimental work of what might be called social realism, or documentary cinema - finding the quiet yet deep and profound stories. Factory25 recently announced the acquisition of one such title, Lucy Kerr's feature debut Family Portrait. Winning an award at that festival and several others besides, the film will have a launch in the USA starting next month, and hopefully in other countries soon.
Set at the dawn of Covid, Family Portrait follows a sprawling family gathering to take a group picture as Katy (Deragh Campbell, Anne at 13,000 Ft., Stinking Heaven) searches for the matriarch that can’t be found, desperately weaving from one family member to the next. Beginning on an idealistic summer day, the film progressively descends into a realm where time and space lose their grip, transforming the family portrait into a solemn and enigmatic ritual of transition.
Embraced by critics upon its premiere for its confident grasp of elusive form, The Hollywood Reporter called the film “ quietly disquieting” and “an intoxicating portrait of sorts — or more like a series of fragmented snapshots where Katy and her loved ones keep coming together and breaking apart, like photos assembled into a collage without ever forming a full picture.” Screen International called it “a low-key fever dream of casually confining domesticity” with Siddhant Adlakha writing that Family Portrait “captures the unspoken dread of the early pandemic” in his review for Truthdig, further stating that “the more the movie withholds, and the more it forces us to engage with the character’s despondency, the more psychological dimensions it reveals. The movie’s allure lies in its imagining of horrors and conflicts yet unseen.”
Family Portrait will begin its theatrical run at Metrograph theater in New York City on June 28, with further engagements and a digital release to follow. Check out some images and the trailer below.
