SXSW Review: FAMILY: Laura Steinel’s Debut Clowns Around With Stereotypes

One of the best things about the SXSW Conference and Festivals is also the most difficult – the sheer amount of content can sometimes be overwhelming. When it comes to picking and choosing films, you have to rely on the descriptions provided to entice you enough to pull you away from the higher profile films. Laura Steinel’s debut feature film Family managed to do just that with its brief but intriguing logline: “An emotionally-stunted aunt tries to bond with her 13-year-old niece, who wants nothing more than to run away from home and become a Juggalo.”

I was in.

So I woke myself early one morning and ventured to the Alamo Drafthouse on Lamar to see what this film had to offer. I was not disappointed.

A Typically Male Premise

The plot of Family surrounds Kate (Taylor Schilling), a driven, self-sufficient, and selfish businesswoman who views relationships as weaknesses and does not hesitate to take advantage of her coworkers’ family problems for her own personal gain. In a word, she’s dislikable, and this is clear by her lack of friendships at work and at home. Her carefully constructed career-driven world gets thrown for a loop when her brother (Eric Edelstein) calls and needs her to stay with his daughter Maddie (actress Bryn Vale in her feature debut) while he and his wife take care of his mother-in-law.

Forced to spend a week with an awkward teen while at the same time balancing her workload, Kate’s struggles are not unfamiliar to the screen or society. However, the perspective shown in the film is nearly always presented to audiences through the male gaze. The classic ‘workaholic’ persona, normally bestowed upon men, now finds itself comfortably and aptly describing the 21st-century woman – at least, one version of her.

The outcome for a man is normally to find a balance between work-life and home. Too often when this has been explored for female characters in the past has the woman been made to choose between the two. The Devil Wears Prada comes to mind, which despite being an excellent film, portrays the choice between personal life and work life for a woman as impossible.

Therefore, I spent much of the film worried that Steinel would force her character to choose between work and family, as so many forces in this world, film or otherwise, tell women they must. Without delving too deeply into the realm of spoilers, I will say I was pleasantly surprised that Family managed to avoid this pitfall, developing both major and minor characters with nuance and humor.

Notable supporting performances include Bryan Tyree Henry as Sensei Pete, Maddie’s unofficial teacher and Kate’s possible love interest (a totally different performance from Paper Boi in Atlanta – I nearly didn’t recognize him), Kate McKinnon as the overenthusiastic neighbor, Jill, and Matt Walsh, one of my favorite “that guy” actors, as Kate’s coworker Dan, a man with mounting home issues.

Clownin’ Around

Family finds its home somewhere within the realm of dramatic-comedy – while serious undercurrent tones rush through the film, the overt nature of the action is that of the comedic. Taylor Schilling is well suited to this, as her performance in Orange is the New Black indicates, but the surprise comes from young Bryn Vale who provides some of the most poignant but also most tickling moments in the film. Her deadpan expression while covered in clown makeup (after all, she desires to be a Juggalo) is not only hilarious but there is an insight into the tortured soul of a misfit teen.

The film’s choice of Insane Clown Posse’s dedicated fanbase, known as Juggalos, provides the perfect metaphor for this aspect of the film, which deals with the idea of ‘letting your freak flag fly’. It’s also where the title is partly drawn from – Juggalos refer to their group as a family. Where at first the film is dismissive of, if not downright horrified by the Juggalo community, it eventually finds itself as, at least somewhat, Juggalo-positive.

After all, this is a community that embraces each other regardless of any outside factors, due to a strange love of one band. I, for one, do not get it, but the idea that you can be anyone from anywhere and find a family is sort of touching. The interesting dichotomous portrayal of the Juggalos is most effective in the “Gathering” sequence, which I believe was likely filmed at an actual Juggalo Gathering. The crowd turns from chaotic and dangerous to organized and concerned in a moment and all for the welfare of a child. It definitely hits the ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ message home.

Family: In Conclusion

Family is lighthearted and fun, and while I don’t think it is breaking any new ground necessarily, it retreads old territory with new vigor and a refreshing take. It was absolutely inspiring to see so much strong female content at SXSW Conference and Festivals, and this debut feature by Laura Steinel was no exception. Family taps into growing issues around women in the workplace and how they balance their lives, as well as a host of timeless issues faced by teens. It’s enjoyable, well made, and it sends home positive messages for young men and women watching.

What are your thoughts on Family?