‘Family’ Brings Ruth Wilson and Ben Chaplin Into a Child’s Haunting World of Fear
A child’s attempt to protect her sick father takes a disturbing turn in Family, a psychological thriller starring Ruth Wilson, Ben Chaplin and Cameron Dawson Gray.
Written and directed by Benjamin Finkel, Family arrives in theaters and on VOD this Friday, centering its supernatural mystery on a 10-year-old girl whose fears surrounding her family begin manifesting in increasingly unsettling ways.
The film follows Johanna, played by Gray, who moves with her parents, Naomi and Harry, back to Naomi’s childhood home in the suburbs of Philadelphia.
Wilson stars as Naomi, with Chaplin playing Harry, whose declining health becomes a source of growing concern for his daughter.
Hoping to protect her ailing father, Johanna hangs what she believes to be a magical birdhouse. Rather than improving the family’s circumstances, Harry’s condition continues to deteriorate.
Johanna soon begins experiencing dark visions, and the situation becomes even more disturbing when her dog disappears without explanation.
Convinced that a sinister spirit is responsible for what is happening to her family, Johanna retreats deeper into a fantasy world shaped by her fears.
That perspective places the uncertainty surrounding the supernatural at the center of Family. The story leaves Johanna attempting to interpret illness, disappearance and the instability around her through the understanding of a child, with her imagined world reflecting anxieties she may not otherwise know how to process.
Finkel’s film consequently brings psychological and supernatural horror together within a family drama, using Johanna’s relationship with her parents as the foundation for its escalating mystery.
Wilson is known for projects including The Affair, His Dark Materials and Luther, while Chaplin’s credits include The Thin Red Line, The Nevers and The Dig. Gray takes the central role as Johanna, placing the film largely within the young character’s increasingly uncertain perception of events.
Family is written and directed by Benjamin Finkel and stars Ruth Wilson, Ben Chaplin and Cameron Dawson Gray.
The film opens in theaters and arrives on VOD this Friday.
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