A girl thing
Drama about mother-daughter relationships is honest
Sabrina Carnevale
Over 50 billion cells make up the human body and each contains the genetic coding of our parents. Growing up, almost every teenager asks him or herself, “am I bound to walk in my parents’ footsteps, or am I free to build my own identity?” At the heart of Familia lies a reflection on the nature versus nurture question and our attempt to separate ourselves from our immediate family.
Award-winning short filmmaker Louise Archambault presents her feature film debut with this confident, energetic and witty piece of work. Familia explores the complicated and often unstable relationship between mothers and daughters.
“It is said that the problems children have stem from their relationship with their mothers,” said Archambault. “We have to stop thinking that way and accept that, like it or not, our lives come with a certain amount of family baggage. It’s up to us to evolve and better ourselves with the cards we’ve been dealt.”
Michèle (Sylvie Moreau) is a free-spirited aerobics instructor and relentless gambling addict. When her steroid-selling boyfriend catches her at yet another gaming table, he threatens to cut off her finances. Michèle returns home to frantically pack her things and hatches a plan: escape to California with her reluctant 14-year-old daughter Margot (Mylène St-Sauveur), but not before making a quick pit stop at Michèle’s mother’s (Micheline Lanctôt). There, grandma’s perverted professor boyfriend pronounces “family is the foundation of who we are” moments before copping a feel of financially challenged Michèle.
Mother and daughter move on to the home of Michèle’s childhood friend Janine (Macha Grenon), an interior designer who lives the suburban dream with a teenaged daughter of her own, Gabrielle. Janine reluctantly allows them to stay for what she thinks will be a few days, although those few days turn into weeks. The two young girls become friends while their mothers try and rekindle their long lost friendship, but Janine becomes increasingly concerned with Margot’s bad influence on her shy and reserved daughter.
A large portion of the film centres on the differing mother-daughter relationships. As both women try to refine their mothering skills and set an example for their daughters, conflicting values take hold of them. The theme of passing on principles and morals from one generation to the next results in some unexpected drama involving wealth, hardship, infidelity and the damaging consequences of date rape.
Anyone who has ever struck out in the love department will definitely appreciate one of the finest revenge schemes ever devised — this nail biter sequence proves exciting to watch.
Archambault excels in her storytelling of two teenage girls who find commonality in an otherwise difficult situation. She combines this with a distinct directorial style that frequently involves a handheld camera following alongside each character. This shaky, realistic shooting approach gives the audience a chance to really sense the urgency and emotion the characters endure. The camera also complements the beautiful, rich Quebec landscapes that become the unforgettable backdrop for this complex family drama.
Archambault said in an interview that according to the authors of Mères-filles: une relation à trois, a book that examines the behavioural patterns related to mother-daughter relationships, there are three ways to break the cycle of an unwanted behaviour pattern: don’t have children, commit suicide, or accept it.
“The last alternative is the one that interests me, because it involves an awareness that enables us to develop our own identity and become a whole person,” she said. “Instead of keeping us from evolving, the past becomes a building block.”
Archmabault extracts convincing performances in this intense and heartbreaking film that shuttles from drama to comedy to domestic tragedy. Familia is many things at the same time: passionate, honest and touching. At its core is a story of mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, and character traits that are passed down through generations whether we like it or not.
