In the Family

In the Family, written and directed by and co-starring Patrick Wang, is the most remarkable gay-themed American independent film I've seen in many years. Wang has created a labor of love here, telling a powerful story about a gay family in Tennessee torn apart following the death of one of the partners and the custody battle that follows. It is told at a leisurely pace, almost three hours, which allows the story to take hold in a series of gripping dramatic scenes that play out in natural time, with a modern long-take style that lets the writing and the acting achieve their full impact. Brian Murray's climactic deposition cross-examination, followed by Patrick Wang's beautifully modulated scene defending his right to custody of his son, cap an emotional drama that avoids all the pitfalls of melodrama.

I'm in awe of Mr. Wang for committing so fully to telling this very personal story without compromise. Unable to find film festivals willing to screen the film, he has rented the Quad Cinema in New York for a week to self-distribute the film, a strategy which seems to have paid off with mostly glowing reviews (including Paul Brunick in The New York Times) and very positive audience reaction, judging from a well-attended Saturday afternoon screening at which the film received a round of applause, a rare event in my experience for an ordinary screening of this type with no announced special guests. In fact Mr. Wang and some of his family and friends happened to be at that screening, and I briefly told him I thought it was a great film on my way out of the theater. Perhaps I will have more to add to my analysis as I think more about the film.