{"id":2066,"date":"2018-12-19T11:47:29","date_gmt":"2018-12-19T17:47:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/media\/?p=2066"},"modified":"2019-01-02T14:12:52","modified_gmt":"2019-01-02T20:12:52","slug":"the-family-films-of-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/media\/2018\/12\/19\/the-family-films-of-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"The “Family” Films of 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re at the peak of holiday season, and for most people, that means presents, food, praying for snow, and getting together to enjoy the company of family. This year was a big one for movies that focused on the drama of family life. From funny rom-coms to new horror classics, the ties that bind were a major theme in the media we consumed this year.\u00a0 Let\u2019s rewind and take a look at some of the biggest movies of the year, and what they had to teach us about family. \u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\r\n

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[[Possible spoilers ahead for \u201cCrazy Rich Asians,\u201d \u201cHereditary,\u201d \u201cBlack Panther,\u201d \u201cThree Identical Strangers,\u201d and \u201cFirst Man.\u201d Tread carefully.]]<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\r\n

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Romance \u2013 Crazy Rich Asians<\/u><\/h3>\r\n\r\n

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Undoubtedly one of the biggest hits of the year, \u201cCrazy Rich Asians\u201d follows Rachel Chu as she meets her boyfriend Nick\u2019s family for the first time \u2013 and is shocked to discover that not only is Nick filthy rich, he\u2019s also part of one of the most well connected and established families in Singapore. What follows is a journey of Rachel\u2019s culture shock wrapped up in the anxiety of trying to impress her boyfriend\u2019s judgmental mother, Eleanor, who isn\u2019t impressed by the simple economics professor who stole her son\u2019s heart. This contentious back and forth is at the center of the film’s lessons on how to deal with family.<\/p>\r\n

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In the climax of the story, Rachel becomes tired of the battle between Eleanor and herself, and the damage it is causing her relationship. Rachel decides that sometimes the best way to win a game is to refuse to play at all, especially at the cost of her own values. She declares her intent to Eleanor that she will leave Nick, even at the cost of her own happiness. It culminates in one of the best monologues of the year, an excerpt of which is below:<\/p>\r\n

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\u201cThere’s no winning. You made sure of that. ‘Cause if Nick chose me, he would lose his family. And if he chose his family, he might spend the rest of his life resenting you. [\u2026] I just love Nick so much, I don’t want him to lose his mom again. So I just wanted you to know: that one day – when he marries another lucky girl who is enough for you, and you’re playing with your grandkids while the Tan Hua’s are blooming, and the birds are chirping – that it was because of me: a poor, raised by a single mother, low class, immigrant nobody.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

This moment completely shifts the dynamic between the two. Eleanor finally sees that Rachel values Nick, and not just his money and lifestyle. A mutual respect is cemented, and a happily ever after seems possible for Rachel and Nick after all.<\/p>\r\n

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Horror \u2013 Hereditary<\/u><\/h3>\r\n\r\n

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A masterclass in tension, \u201cHereditary\u201d is not for the faint of heart. The buzz around this film grew to a fever pitch in Horror fan circles long before it actually hit the box office, and it did not disappoint. The tremendous talent that is Toni Collette stars in the film as Annie, the matriarch leading this familial drama. There seems to be a lot of darkness that has always followed Annie and her loved ones, but there are only vague hints as to what is going on inside her household at first. An overbearing grandmother, a daughter who collects dead animals, the strange artistic creations that Annie creates as a miniatures artist\u2026 All these things present as omens, suggesting a family on the edge of some unacknowledged but waiting danger.<\/p>\r\n

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That becomes starkly clear when tragedy strikes in one of the most shocking plot twists and disturbing imagery in modern movie history. Things only get more bizarre as pressure from this tragedy shifts the dynamic in Annie\u2019s household. From bizarre nightmares to dark witchcraft, Hereditary really makes you thankful that most family drama only rises to the occasional angry political debate, and doesn\u2019t end with a demon possessed character crawling up on the ceiling.<\/p>\r\n

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