Francesco Costabile’s FAMILIA mixes melodrama and horror elements to great effect in telling the story of a family torn apart by an abusive father.
We first witness the violence Licia and her two sons Gigi and Alessandro have to endure when they were children. Later as a 20 year old, Gigi joins a group of skinheads and displays behavior that is not too dissimilar to his father’s. When the father steps back into the picture, the film, which is adapted from Luigi Celeste’s autobiographical novel, becomes a powder keg about to explode.
The cast is excellent all around. Francesco di Leva reminded me of Stephen Graham. He nails the part of the psychopathic husband. Costabile adds fine visual flourishes that were also present in his previous film Una Femmina from Berlinale 2022. While that film was memorable, Familia is a considerably more accomplished one putting him among directors to watch.
