Family Viewing/Next of Kin

Starring:Next of Kin, Family Viewing
Studio: Zeitgeist Films
Product Type: DVD

Description

In NEXT OF KIN (1984), a young man is having problems with his family. Catatonically unhappy, he undergoes video-therapy with his domineering parents. At the clinic, he comes across the videotapes of a troubled Armenian family, who twenty years earlier gave up their infant son to a foster home. This sly comedy explores the unexpected outcome of Peter presenting himself as this family's long lost son. FAMILY VIEWING (1987) won numerous awards at major film festivals and established Egoyan as one of the most striking new directors of our time. In this black comedy a young man discovers that his childhood home videos have been erased to make room for his father's homemade sex tapes. These two features are enhanced by Egoyan's commentaries, as well as his first short films. For aspiring filmmakers as well as cinephiles, this collection of early work is a great introduction to this acclaimed writer and director.

Customer Reviews:

Family Viewing.......2004-02-20

Atom Egoyan's second film (1987) seems dated and grainy, and sitting through it until you are used to the pacing can be excruciating, but ultimately you may find this to be one of your favorite films, especially if you are interested in how film affects our lives. Told through film augmented by home movies and juxtaposed television viewing and security cameras, this deep and complex film shows that Egoyan was interested in themes surrounding the act and effects of filming right from the beginning. Also, his layers upon layers style is here in all its glory, as is actor-wife Arsinee Khanjian.

The story revolves around a young man just graduating from high school, his strained relationship with his father, his doting on his maternal grandmother who lives in a shabby nursing home, and his friendship with the telephone sex operator who visits her mother in the next bed.

This is one of those films that you will watch again and then watch with commentary and then want to talk to others about. Egoyan is a wonderful filmmaker, always interesting.

Extras include commentary, a very interesting bio/filmography of the director, over 12 minutes of rehearsal footage, stills and three early short films by Egoyan -- Open House (25 min), Howard in Particular (12 min, 1979) and Peepshow (7 min, 1981). The film can be heard in English with English or French subtitles.

"When you're not feeling connected.".......2003-10-09

In this double DVD set "Family Viewing/Next of Kin" from director Atom Egoyan, both of the films are about alienated young men who are unable to interact in any sort of healthy fashion with their emotionally dysfunctional families. When watching these films, I recall a quote from Tolstoy's Anna Karenina: "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." This quote can be easily applied to the unhappy families in Egoyan's films "Family Viewing" and "Next of Kin."

In "Family Viewing" a 17-year-old named Van lives with his video and television obsessed father and his father's lover, Sandra. Van's mother disappeared years ago, and Van's maternal grandmother Armen is stuck in a nasty nursing home. Van has a complicated relationship with Sandra, but his relationship with his father is strained. The fact that Armen is neglected in a nursing home--regularly visited by Van--only serves to alienate the father and son even further. Van's father is gradually erasing home-made videotapes of Van and his mother--filmed in Van's childhood--and replacing these treasured memories with some nasty films of his own. While visiting his grandmother in the nursing home, Van, strikes up a relationship with an emotionally stunted telephone sex operator named Aline (played by Egoyan's wife Arsinee Khanjian).

"Family Viewing" may seem amateurish at first, but don't let Egoyan's techniques fool you. Egoyan's films are created with the precision of mathematical equations, and "Family Viewing" is a very concise, perfectly constructed film. It has the feel of a daytime soap opera, and this is intentional. The scenes with Van's family seem almost mechanical, and indeed perhaps the lives of the quiet and restrained emotionally dysfunctional do boil down to simple television watching. Watching television and eating seem to be the two activities Van's family indulge in regularly. In this film, Egoyan uses technology as a way of recording history--or showing the truth, but of course, tapes can be erased or rewound. The plot moves forward with the use of video, television, and surveillance cameras. Television programmes serve as an ironic background to the real life action taking place in Van's home and also in Armen's nursing home. For example, Van's mother has simply disappeared off the face of the planet, and yet a nature programme watched intently by Armen notes that Polar bears are tracked with implanted devices--no matter where the bears roam--so they can always be found.

I really liked the character of Van in "Family Viewing." He progresses from adolescence to adulthood in this film, and he emerges as a strong, intelligent, and independent person. I particularly enjoyed the scene between Van and the nursing home Dr when they discuss the charitable and the business sides of their natures. This really is an excellent, excellent film. I think it may be my favourite Egoyan.

"Next of Kin" is the story of 23-year-old Peter--an only child--who still lives at home with his eternally bickering upper-middle-class parents. As a result of years of listening to his parents fighting, Peter gradually retreats, and soon he rarely emerges from bed. Peter's parents seek help from family counseling, and they participate in video therapy. The family meets with a therapist who videotapes their sessions, and each individual family member then reviews the sessions. Peter views a videotape carelessly left from another family's session.

The other family---the Deryans--are Armenian immigrants who gave up a son, Bedros, for adoption before coming to America. The parents feel extremely guilty about this, and unfortunately the guilt manifests itself in dissatisfaction with their other child--Azah (Arsinee Khanjian). Peter is fascinated by video therapy, and by the powerful role of the therapist, and so he tells everyone he's going off on a holiday. Peter presents himself as Bedros to the hardworking Deryan family. He's rapidly accepted--no questions asked, and soon he's swamped in a different set of family-related issues. Peter simply steps seamlessly from one unhappy family to another.

"Next of Kin" is a very early Egoyan film, and it's not as sophisticated as "Family Viewing." Peter's acceptance in the family is a little too smooth, and the solutions he offers are a bit too simple. Nonetheless, "Next of Kin" is a marvelous film, and it makes some very powerful statements about the nature of family, and the fact that we are not able to choose who we are related to. Peter manages to overcome this obstacle, however. Keep an eye open for a glimpse of Egoyan in this film.

I love the emotional distance Egoyan creates between his audience and his characters. There's nothing I dislike more than a tear-fest. While I find myself riveted to Egoyan films, and fascinated by the characters, I never feel emotionally manipulated by the characters or by the director--displacedhuman

Next of Kin.......2002-12-21

Atom Egoyan is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors. While many people consider his films "too artsy," I find them brilliant pieces of filmmaking. I have yet to view FAMILY VIEWING, but I will soon. NEXT OF KIN, however, was an incredibly impressive first feature, especially considering Egoyan was only 23 when he made it. I mean, what a fascinating plot. I commend Egoyan for having his first film deal with an Armenian family, he being of Armenian descent (as am I). The film follows a troubled family, who decide to go through video therapy to solve their problems. Peter, their 23 year old son, comes across a tape of another troubled family, Armenians (surprisingly, the film never mentions that the family is of Armenian descent, but they are) who had years before given their only son up for adoption upon moving to Canada. Peter pretends to be their long-lost son, suitably named Bedros, which is the Armenian equivilant of Peter. The family accepts him with open arms and treat him like he was never gone. Peter (Bedros) tries to fix the troubled relationship between his "father" George and "sister" Azah, as he learns about the family's Armenian culture. Now, I found the film very enjoyable, well acted, and for the budget, wonderfully directed. However, I felt Egoyan could have explored many more aspects of the Armenian family and at a mere 69 minutes, the film was WAY too short. (Why does the IMDB have this at 105 minutes, did I get an edited version??) How would the relatives have treated Bedros since he had been gone for some long? (They all gather for his surprise party, but we hardly see them for two minutes before Bedros disappears to the bedroom with Azah.) The relationships between George and Sonya, and even Bedros and Azah could also have been explored quite a bit. Overall, this was a fascinating, interesting, and wonderful film, but it didn't seem fully developed and ended way too quickly...This is one film I wish was longer.

Atom Egoyan's First Two Terrific Films.......2002-06-20

If you like Atom Egoyan or you just want to see two great movies, watch this 2-disc DVD set, with great commentary by the director. It's Egoyan first two features. Next of Kin is a funny, touching film about a young man who is unsatisfied with his parents and learns about another family suffering from the guilt of giving their son up for adoption twenty years ago. The young man decides to pose as the long-lost son and gain new parents that love him more. Family Viewing is about a young man who finds that his father is recording over home movies of his childhood with his homemade porn sessions. Wim Wenders won the Grand Prize at the Toronto Film Fest for Wings of Desire, but he gave his award to Egoyan saying that Family Viwing was one of the most honest films he had ever seen. Both Next of Kin and Family Viewing were nominated for multiple Canadian academy awards, including picture, director, and screenplay. Egoyan is one of today's great auteurs and has received numerous accolades, including Oscar noms for Director and Screenplay for The Sweet Hereafter. See these two films. Of interest are also Egoyan's Speaking Parts, Exotica, The Adjuster, Felicia's Journey, and my personal favorite, Calendar. Check 'em out.

Odd........2001-10-25

Family viewing tells the story of a not so typical family going through the motions of their perverse and depressing lives. To sum it up. Technology will destroy all.

A teenage boy, Van, lives in an apartment with his father, Stan, and stepmother, Sandra. At some point Van carried on an affair, or so it seems, with Sandra. Meanwhile Van and Stan have a very strained relationship, although they do not talk about it. It becomes worse when Van finds out Stan is recording "private" videos with Sandra, using old VHS tapes of Van as a child. Addtionally Van wants Stan to visit his mother, who has been abandoned in a nusring home. Enter into the picture a woman named Aline, who makes her money soliciting phone sex and things really get interesting. It all ties together in the end, with some surprising plot developments, into a twisted little story.

All of the characters in this film are strangely sedated. This is a very effect plot device though, because it really helps isolate the characters from one another. It also leaves the impression that these peoples' lives are so empty and unfulfilling they have become numb to it all.

Very well shot, and poignantly directed, this is a good film. Atom Egoyan is a director new to me. I have heard nothing but positive things about his films so I will certainly be checking out others he has made. Unfortunately I have not seen Next of Kin which is also featured on this DVD. Sorry, but Family Viewing is worth checking out.

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