Relative (film)
{{short description|2022 film, directed by Michael Glover Smith}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Relative
| image = RelativeMoviePoster.jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| native_name =
| director = Michael Glover Smith
| writer = Michael Glover Smith
| producer = Aaron Wertheimer
Clare Cooney
| starring = Wendy Robie
Francis Guinan
Cameron Scott Roberts
Clare Cooney
Keith D. Gallagher
Emily Lape
Melissa DuPrey
Elizabeth Stam
| cinematography = Olivia Aquilina
| editing = Eric Marsh
| music =
| studio =
| distributor = Newcity/Chicago Film Project (theatrical) / Music Box Films (streaming)
| released = {{Film date|2022|03|12|Gasparilla International Film Festival}}
| runtime = 97 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget =
| gross = $23,168{{cite Box Office Mojo|id=11963006|title=Relative (2021)|access-date=February 20, 2023}}
}}
Relative is a 2022 American drama/comedy feature film written and directed by Michael Glover Smith. The film is about a family reunion centered on a college graduation party in Chicago.{{Cite web |title=Relative {{!}} Official Film Site |url=https://www.chicagofilmproject.com/relative/ |access-date=2022-08-16 |language=en-US}} It premiered at the 2022 Gasparilla International Film Festival in Tampa, Florida where actor Cameron Scott Roberts won the Grand Jury award for Best Performance.{{Cite web |title=2022 WINNERS |url=https://www.gasparillafilmfestival.com/copy-of-schedule |access-date=2022-08-16 |website=Gasparilla Film Fest |language=en}}
Plot
Karen Frank and her husband, David, are retirement-age progressive activists who have lived in the same Victorian home in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood for 30 years. It's the house in which their four children grew up and where two of their children, adult sons Benji and Rod, still live. On the eve of Benji's graduation from college, daughters Evonne and Norma return home from out-of-state for a weekend celebration. Evonne brings her daughter, Emma, and newly separated wife, Lucia; Norma arrives alone, with thoughts of wasted potential as she reconsiders her suburban life; Rod, an unemployed burnout, pines for Sarah, the “cam girl” ex who left him years ago; and all Benji wants to do is escape the party to rendezvous with Hekla, a free-spirited actress he met the night prior. As David and Karen announce the potential sale of their home, each member of the Frank family finds their bonds with the others being tested – and strengthened – in surprising ways.{{Cite web |title=Relative {{!}} BIFF Year Round Film 5/18/22 |url=https://beloitfilmfest.org/films/relative/ |access-date=2022-10-05 |website=BIFF - Beloit International Film Festival |language=en-US}}
Cast
- Wendy Robie as Karen Frank
- Francis Guinan as David Frank
- Cameron Scott Roberts as Benji Frank
- Clare Cooney as Evonne Frank
- Keith D. Gallagher as Rod Frank
- Emily Lape as Norma Frank
- Melissa DuPrey as Lucia Aguirre
- Elizabeth Stam as Hekla
Background and production
It was announced in 2021 that the film was being produced by Newcity/Chicago Film Project and would star Twin Peaks' Wendy Robie and Steppenwolf Theater Ensemble member Francis Guinan.{{Cite web |last=Magazine |first=Screen |date=2021-10-13 |title=Brian and Jan Hieggelke and Chicago Film Project Announce Next Feature |url=https://screenmag.com/brian-and-jan-hieggelke-and-chicago-film-project-announce-next-feature/ |access-date=2022-08-16 |website=Screen Magazine |language=en-US}}
In an interview with Split-Tooth Media, Smith said, "[A]ll of my films are really about love, which is the only subject that interests me". He noted that the inspiration for Relative was to stretch himself as a writer/director by examining, for the first time, familial relationships, which he claimed "are a lot more complicated than the ones you have with a friend or a romantic partner". Smith also cited, as influences, films such as Arnaud Desplechin's A Christmas Tale, Yasujirō Ozu's Late Spring and John Ford's How Green Was My Valley.{{Cite web |last=Glace |first=Bennett |date=2022-04-18 |title=Q&A: Michael Glover Smith on Casting and Creating a Film Family for 'Relative' |url=https://www.splittoothmedia.com/michael-glover-smith-relative/ |access-date=2022-08-16 |website=Split Tooth Media |language=en-US}}
Relative was shot over a span of two weeks in the summer of 2021 in Chicago and the near-north suburbs.{{Cite web |last=Magazine |first=Screen |date=2021-06-29 |title=That's A Wrap on Chicago Feature Film RELATIVE; Twin Peaks, Steppenwolf Legends Lead Cast |url=https://screenmag.com/thats-a-wrap-on-chicago-feature-film-relative/ |access-date=2022-08-16 |website=Screen Magazine |language=en-US}}
Release
The film received a limited theatrical release beginning on June 8, 2022.{{Cite web |last=Magazine |first=Screen |date=2022-05-16 |title=Music Box Theatre and Gene Siskel Film Center to Co-Present World Theatrical Premiere of Michael Glover Smith's 'Relative' |url=https://screenmag.com/music-box-theatre-and-gene-siskel-film-center-to-co-present-world-theatrical-premiere-of-michael-glover-smiths-relative/ |access-date=2022-08-16 |website=Screen Magazine |language=en-US}} It was the 23rd highest-grossing movie in the U.S. during its first week in release.{{Cite web |title=Relative |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl197690113/ |access-date=2022-08-16 |website=Box Office Mojo}} It was announced on February 28, 2024 that the film had been acquired by Music Box Films for a streaming release beginning on May 21, 2024.{{Cite web |date=2024-02-28 |title=Trailer for Comedy 'Relative' About a Dysfunctional Family in Chicago {{!}} FirstShowing.net |url=https://www.firstshowing.net/2024/trailer-for-comedy-relative-about-a-dysfunctional-family-in-chicago/ |access-date=2024-03-18 |website=www.firstshowing.net |language=en-US}}
Reception
Relative has received very positive reviews for its writing, acting, and directing. This includes a three-and-a-half (out of four) star review by the Chicago Sun-Times
Awards
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|11963006}}
- [https://letterboxd.com/film/relative-2022/ Relative] at Letterboxd
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou5te4HCkOA Official trailer] on YouTube
- [https://classicchicagomagazine.com/its-all-relative-filmmaker-michael-glover-smiths-winning-new-movie-examines-chicago-family-at-crossroads Classic Chicago Magazine] interview with Smith
Category:2020s English-language films
Category:2022 romantic comedy-drama films
Category:2022 LGBTQ-related films
Category:American LGBTQ-related films
Category:American romantic comedy-drama films
Category:Films shot in Chicago
Category:Lesbian-related films