1996 Movie
Dir. Richard Pearce · United States of America · English
One brother finds another in this earnest family drama
There are certain things in a family that are kept secret from kids, especially when it paints the parents in a negative light. One such secret is that a parent betrayed the other, leading to the existence of another family. A Family Thing takes that secret in Arkansas, in a story of two brothers divided by race, that is more common than acknowledged in America. While the film could have delved deeper into the divide, Robert Duvall and James Earl Jones deliver great performances, crafting brotherhood slowly bridged by curiosity, despite its difficult beginnings. A Family Thing is an underrated family drama that could’ve gone wrong, but it works because of the writing and the performances.
Earl Pilcher Jr. runs an equipment rental outfit in Arkansas, lives with his wife and kids and parents, and rarely takes off his gimme cap. His mother dies, leaving a letter explaining he's not her natural son, but the son of a Black woman who died in childbirth; plus, he has a half brother Ray, in Chicago, she wants him to visit. Earl makes the trip, initially receiving a cold welcome from Ray and Ray's son, Virgil. His birth mother's sister, Aunt T., an aged and blind matriarch, takes Earl in tow and insists that the family open up to him.
"Operating on a grander scale, Kogonada still retains his singular, warm sensibility – and if you can succumb to the film’s heart-on-its-sleeve sentimentality, it’s a journey worth taking."
— Iana Murray
"Rather than a sweeping romance, Kogonada and his stars have crafted an earnest and heartfelt modern love story, albeit one lacking in ardour."
— Ben Nicholson
In a letter his mother Carrie wrote on her deathbed, Earl Pilcher Jr. discovers that his biological mother was actually Willa Mae, a Black woman who died in childbirth, and that he has a half-brother Raymond Murdock in Chicago. Because of this, Carrie implores Earl to make amends with him.
Robert Duvall and James Earl Jones!
Rest in power, James Earl Jones.
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
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