Dispatches from Cannes: What Addiction Does To Families
The world of movies tends to portray addiction in a certain dramatic light. Think tragic losers on a downward plummet towards the social fringes such as Nicolas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas. Rarely do we see the banal factors that sandwich self-destruction. Rarely do we see self-destruction rippling outwards, casting well-meaning loved ones in impossible positions.
Krisha is a very personal debut by Texan filmmaker, Trey Edward Shults. He cast his family in key roles. His mother, Robyn Fairchild, plays Robyn, sister to Krisha, played by his aunt, Krisha Fairchild.
Events hinge on Krisha arriving at her sister’s home for the family thanksgiving dinner. With her untamed grey-white tresses and floaty clothing, sixty-something Krisha could be mistaken for the family free spirit. She curses as she drags her luggage to the right door, unsure of where she is and what she’s doing. But big gatherings can be stressful. There’s nothing abnormal to see here, right?
Shults set a very natural dynamic of loved ones hanging out. There is a certain frisson of anxiety emanating from and surrounding Krisha that slowly blossoms into a pattern that only grows more painful and disappointing for the fact that it becomes clear that it is an oft-repeated one. The brilliance of the film stems from he fact that it loops around, eloquently illustrating both the perspective of a woman whose sobriety is too tender to survive the blows life has stored up, and the perspectives of a family that has too many members to always put one woman first.
Krisha is a story that doesn’t look at the causes of alcoholism or the possible solutions for it. It takes the illness as a fact as solid as a turkey dinner and squares up to how that plays out. Although truthful visualisation is the main goal herein, the even-handedness of the chracterisations is such that we observers can ponder what it is that sufferers of this maddening addiction need.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
You might like
On Alexander Skarsgård’s trousers, The Rehearsal, and the importance of weirdos
Freaks and Finances — In the May edition of our monthly culture newsletter, columnist Emma Garland reflects on the Swedish actor’s Cannes look, Nathan Fielder’s wild ambition, and Jafaican.
Written by: Emma Garland
Remembering Holly Woodlawn, Andy Warhol muse and trans trailblazer
Love You Madly — A new book explores the actress’s rollercoaster life and story, who helped inspire Lou Reed’s ‘Walk on the Wild Side’.
Written by: Miss Rosen
A new documentary spotlights Ecuador’s women surfers fighting climate change
Ceibo — Co-directed by Maddie Meddings and Lucy Small, the film focuses on the work and story of Pacha Light, a wave rider who lived off-grid before reconnecting with her country’s activist heritage.
Written by: Hannah Bentley
In 1971, Pink Narcissus redefined queer eroticism
Camp classic — A new restoration of James Bidgood’s cult film is showing in US theatres this spring. We revisit its boundary pushing aesthetics, as well as its enduring legacy.
Written by: Miss Rosen
The inner-city riding club serving Newcastle’s youth
Stepney Western — Harry Lawson’s new experimental documentary sets up a Western film in the English North East, by focusing on a stables that also functions as a charity for disadvantaged young people.
Written by: Isaac Muk
The forgotten women’s football film banned in Brazil
Onda Nova — With cross-dressing footballers, lesbian sex and the dawn of women’s football, the cult movie was first released in 1983, before being censored by the country’s military dictatorship. Now restored and re-released, it’s being shown in London at this year’s BFI Flare film festival.
Written by: Jake Hall
