Family – Movie Review (3/5)

FAMILY is a horror drama with a character-driven storyline that will leave you shocked and probably a little puzzled. Ruth Wilson is one of the stars of this genre movie, and she absolutely stole the show for me. Also, the young Dawson Gray delivers an impressive performance. Read our full Family (2026) movie review here!

FAMILY is coming to theaters and on demand, and this movie delivers a brutal horror drama. In short, very short, this is the story of a girl living through life-altering grief. Or really, she’s still hopeful, but it will become apparent that this is futile. Instead, she tries asking for help from the supernatural. Of course, when one asks for a good spirit, it may be one of the bad guys that arrives instead.

I am severely oversimplifying the plot of this movie, but I don’t want to give away spoilers, so I’m sticking with that. The runtime is 1 hour and 35 minutes, and I’m happy it wasn’t longer. Not because it wasn’t good, but because it does go deep and hit hard. Especially if you’ve ever lived through the experience of losing someone to a terminal illness.

Continue reading our Family (2026) movie review below. Find it in theaters and on demand from September 25, 2026.

The greatest fear of a child

Losing a parent is the greatest fear of most children. In Family, this is the core plot, as the 10-year-old Johanna knows her father is very sick. In a last desperate move, the family picks up and moves back to her mother’s childhood city. There, Johanne will meet her grandfather, whom she has no memory of, as they haven’t been in contact since she was very small.

In this city, which is in the suburbs of Philadelphia, there are some new options in dealing with the illness of Johanna’s father. Everything in this family’s world is about trying to help him survive. For Johanna, this means trying to get a magic birdhouse working. Supposedly, it can attract a good spirit that will help him recover.

Johanna hangs it up, and it appears to attract something. Unfortunately, his illness continues to get worse, and now strange visions also appear. While nightmares have been common for Johanna, she is usually okay while awake. Not any longer.

As this story is set in 2002, it’s before the age of smartphones and social media, so Johanna is very much left to her own devices. Not a good thing for a girl who already feels alone and scared much of the time.

Ruth Wilson is amazing

The three main characters in Family are portrayed by Ruth Wilson, Ben Chaplin, and Cameron Dawson Gray as the mother, father, and daughter, respectively. All three are amazing, and while Ben Chaplin has the least screen time, he will make an impact. Also in a smaller role, we have Allan Corduner (The Offering) as Johanna’s maternal grandfather.

Even more so, however, you can expect to (once again!) be blown away by Ruth Wilson in Family. That woman is such an impressive actor, and her talent always makes her characters leap out from the screen for me. This was the case in The Woman in the Wall and Down Cemetery Road, and is most certainly also the case here.

And then there’s the young and impressive talent of Cameron Dawson Gray as Johanna. You should expect to both feel and root for her, while also wanting to shake her and keep her grounded. This is clearly also the feeling her mother is confronted with as she desperately tries to save her husband.

I do want to mention Beau McConnell (Paradise), who is truly wonderful as a boy in the new neighborhood that Johanna can talk to.

Watch Family in theaters and on demand

Family was written & directed by Benjamin Finkel, while executive producers include star Ruth Wilson and Jewerl Keats Ross (How I Learned to Fly). I do love it when the actors get involved with production as well, and Ruth Wilson has more than deserved to be involved in this capacity as well. I am amazed that Family is the first film by Benjamin Finkel, and very intrigued to see what he does next.

Admittedly, I am really hoping for better titles in the future. I am sorry to nitpick, but “Family” is just the kind of title that is impossible to make stand out. Even if it does make sense in the context of its plot, it could also have been titled “The Blue Birdhouse”, as this is a key element as well.

Anyway, I am very much nitpicking. My other, and much more relevant, issue with Family is the somewhat open ending. I mean, there is very much an ending, but you can interpret it, and in the case of this movie, I really wanted just a few more answers than I got. Mostly about how Johanna’s fantasy world starts mirroring her fears and reality. Both in terms of her mother and father.

However, I can live with this, and I recognize that this is a very personal story. One I recognize as someone who also lost their father to cancer, though I was in my 30s when that happened. I only mention my “issue” with this movie to explain why our rating isn’t one higher. I never, as I watched this horror drama, doubted that it would result in a “Fresh” rating from me.

FAMILY is out in theaters and On Demand from September 25, 2026.

Details

Director: Benjamin Finkel
Writer: Benjamin Finkel
Cast: Ruth Wilson, Ben Chaplin, Cameron Dawson Gray, Allan Corduner