I saw "Surviving Family," at the Golden Door International Film Festival of Jersey City in a beautifully restored movie palace and the entire evening was a great one, where independent film is concerned.
The ambiance of watching a movie in grand movie palace once owned by MGM blended with a very hard-edged yet enjoyable independent film such as Surviving Family. Beautifully shot by Laura Thies from a brilliant screenplay by Mara Lesemann, the film has an odd mix of sweetness and tragedy. It's got moments of comedy blended in with the heavy drama.
Buoyed by a strong performance from Sarah Wilson, who plays Terry Malone a young woman returning home to get married at her family's home. However, it's not all wine and roses, as Terry has several ghosts from her past that are still haunting her. Tragedy, alcoholism and other obstacles threaten to ruin the very marriage she came to start here.
There are also tremendous supporting performances from Phyllis Somerville and Tara Westwood and a very nice cameo by Vincent Pastore of "The Sopranos," fame.
See this movie either at a film festival or hopefully one day soon in theatrical release. It doesn't quite have a Hollywood ending, but it will make you think, and that's always a good thing.
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