Brief History of a Family
Brief History of a Family
A middle-class family's fate becomes intertwined with their only son's enigmatic new friend in post one-child policy China, putting unspoken secrets, unmet expectations, and untended emotions under the microscope.
Kevin Ward reviewedJuly 2, 2025
A tension filled drama that will draw comparisons to The Talented Mr. Ripley and more recently, Saltburn, as we have a social interloper that manages to insert himself into a new family. Set against the backdrop of a post one-child policy in China, Yan Shuo ingratiates himself to his friend Tu Wei’s middle class family as he spends time at their house. As details of Yan Shuo’s traumatic home life begin to present themselves, Tu Wei’s family (his mother in particular) open their home to him as a safe haven. At the same time, Tu Wei has is starting to lose his parents favor because he’s not as motivated for education and accomplishment as his parents would like. The film is packed with beautifully framed shot compositions. Coupled with the sound design, they imbue the entire film with a palpable tension. Unfortunately, I wish there had been either a deeper exploration of the themes….OR…a more definitive and satisfying conclusion. Never really felt a strong POV, from any of the characters, Yan Shuo, Tu Wei or his parents, and the ambiguous/nebulous end doesn’t create a meaningful arc for any them. There’s lots of good here, though, and might be worth checking out.