The Tribes Of Palos Verdes

Every family have their own problems. No matter what kind of family you have, there is always some problems that hides beneath the surface. It could be a family member who feels mentally ill, or have an addiction to drugs, alcohol, or something else. No family is perfect, but that´s ok. Family will always be your ground point in life, so make sure you are close to your family ( unless it just don´t work for many reasons ). When i grew up, we used to have a good life. My dad owned his own construction business, and then suddenly one day, he left for a new woman. All hell breaks loose, and since this day it has been a roller coaster. Things are better now, in my adult life. And i have realised that you can´t change the past, you have to try and make the best out of the situation. Speaking of family problems, there are plenty of really good films that i could recommend. One of these films i am thinking about is the film The Squid And The Whale, released in 2005. A very strong, and solid drama comedy from director Noah Baumbach. I personally think that this film is one of the best performances i have seen actor Jeff Daniels do in his career so far. One of my absolutely favourite dysfunctional family drama films of all time, is of course Buffalo´66. Directed by Vincent Gallo, who also stars as the main character Billy, this is one of the most emotional drama films in cinema history. The acting in this film is fantastic, especially from Vincent Gallo and legendary actor Anjelica Huston. This is a film everyone should own on dvd, or blu ray. Buffalo´66 is a masterpiece of the late 90´s. In the category of dysfunctional family films, we can´t forget about The Coen Brothers wonderful weird film A Serious Man. Both very funny, and tragic, this film clearly shows you how anything can go wrong in your own family. Recently i started reading reviews about a drama film called The Tribes Of Palos Verdes, since i enjoy reading other movie reviewers web pages. I noticed that this could be a story that included a dysfunctional family, but from a different psychological perspective. I finally got a chance to see the film, hoping i would be pleasantly surprised. Is this a great start to the new film year of 2018, or should this film have been kept locked up instead ?

Medina Mason ( Maika Monroe ) is a young woman who loves to surf on the coast of California. She lives with her twin brother Jim ( Cody Fern ) and Medina´s mother Sandy Mason ( Jennifer Garner ). Medina´s father Phil Mason ( Justin Kirk ) is kicked out, after Sandy finds out he have had an affair. Sandy´s mental problems become even worse than before, and Jim also have his own mental issues. Medina tries to do the best she can out of this situation, but can she handle the situation, or is this family falling apart ?

It becomes very clear what The Tribes Of Palos Verdes manage to do very well. To tell a story of how it is to grow up with a mentally unstable mother, gives a strong impact of how important it is to handle family relationships. How do you handle your own mother, who clearly is not feeling mentally well ? Do you just leave her behind, and focus on your own life, or do you stick with her no matter how bad your day is ? This film also tell how difficult it is growing up, right before you are about to enter adult life. The performance from actor Jennifer Garner as the mentally unstable mother Sandy, gives a very solid performance. The scenes when she clearly feel lost, and go into a dream world of what her family needs, is very sad. No matter what she would buy, no matter what she would try to improve for her kids, maybe it would be better if she gets professional help instead ? Her anger, and anxiety shows very clear that she is having a hard time being a mother. Of course she wants the best for her children, but does she know how to do that ? The other actors Maika Monroe and Cody Fern ( who have the most screen time ), also manage to portrait strong characters. I especially enjoy the character Medina, played by Maika Monroe, a young woman struggling with her personal life, as well as the problems between her parents and her mother´s mental problems. I enjoy the soundtrack of this film, it really fits with the California locations, and capture the feeling of how you want to get away, and leave all the problems behind. Directors Brendan Malloy and Emmet Malloy have made a film that clearly wants to make you connect. That no matter if you have a family with many problems, or other issues, we can all see certain details that we can connect with. For me personally, i think the film works best when we find out more about Jennifer Garner´s character Sandy, while she is having her mental breakdowns. This is where the film becomes more solid, and feel more interesting. A few slow moments overall throughout the film, but over all i feel that The Tribes Of Palos Verdes is a solid drama film that manage to deliver an interesting view on family issues. A film worth your precious time, and perhaps a film that most people in your family could see, and might recognize themselves.

Rating: DDD