Anyone who has a dysfunctional or complicated relationship with their family will doubtless be affected by Steve Blackwood’s short film “Family Game Night.” Blackwood, who previously examined complicated father/son relationships in “Peabrain” (2023), carries the same thematics here. Except this time a bond seems to exist between father and son (albeit strained), while the rift exists between the primary character and his mother. The son is once again played by Brian J. McDonald, who excels at the bi-fold character Blackwood presents: on the one hand, he’s subservient, willing accomplice to letting his own voice be squashed by his family. Yet on the other hand—and in powerful, flashback-type scenes—he finds his power and voice, and it’s a thing to behold.
“Family Game Night” takes place in the ‘90s, one day before Christmas Eve, and hammers home its themes eloquently. Dan (McDonald) is visiting his mother (Pamela Jayne Morgan) for the holidays with his new wife, Chris (Ashley Risteen). As the film starts, we’ve seen a game of Trivial Pursuit that turns semi-ugly as nothing of real consequence has happened. Dan’s mother oozes passive aggressiveness and spite as Chris and Dan easily win the game. Dan’s sister, (Claire Aucoin) participates in the lunacy. All the while, Dan tries to talk to his wife, put his foot down about their plans to go back to their hotel rather than stay the night, while his mom yells at another family member, Nino (Paul Kandarian) from the living room about the temperature he’s washing the clothes at. It’s organized chaos.
Family Dysfunction and the Holidays
Blackwood does a great thing here incorporating Dan’s new wife into the fold, and Risteen is excellent as Chris. She’s able to see from her vantage point the insanity Dan’s family exudes and tries in vain to tell him about it. But of course he sees, and part of Dan’s curse is that he lacks the voice to stand up to it. The emotional immaturity on display from his mother—including blackmails for attention, passive aggressive insults, and role switching—are obvious to us, the viewer. But it’s harder when you’re in it to see it. Chris stands up for herself while Dan accepts whatever his family hurls at him. It reminded me of my own complicated relationship with some of my family—a powerful thing to do in film that is less than 20 minutes.
Blackwood has a threefold job here. He directs the film, wrote the film, and stars in the film, reprising his role as ‘Phil,’ Dan’s father from “Peabrain.” In that film, we saw Phil in the throes of dementia, living in assisted living. Seeing the rest of the family unit, this time we see Dan’s self esteem issues stem not only from his Dad but the rest of the family as well. He’s an invisible speck floating in their sea of crazy. Yet Blackwood has more to do this time around. Avoiding spoilers is difficult: Phil has much to say but not a lot of audience to say it too. Phil avoids facing issues and “reading a letter” his son’s asked of him. Blackwood engages in fourth wall breaks, muses about heaven and hell, and—as an alcoholic who cannot drink in his own house—Phil has much to contemplate.
Relationships with Families Are Complicated
The actors across the board are all apt, notably Risteen, who does great with hard material, and Pamela Jayne Morgan, who excels with thankless material. I liked McDonald once again here, and it was nice to see him standing up for himself later in the film, giving voice to things he long ago gave up on saying. His scenes with Blackwood interspersed throughout are powerful; to me, they were the strongest parts of the film.
Speaking of Blackwood, he was my favorite part of “Family Game Night,” absolutely excelling as Phil. His fourth wall breaks and comedy make the earlier parts of the film flow easily and enjoyably, while his later contemplations and conversations with McDonald make the film stick with you emotionally. There is a secret to Phil—a big one—but giving it away would dent the viewer’s experience. It’s worth watching “Family Game Night” unfold on your own to discover it. It’s not a hard ask, given how honestly and painfully Blackwood—as writer—lays out his themes and experiences here.
All-in-all, “Family Game Night” is a meaningful short film. It juggles its themes of family dysfunction and ultimate healing well, and features good acting from its cast. A short film shouldn’t explain everything, and the best thing about “Family Game Night” is that it never tries. It imparts feelings—of frustration, angst, and un-healed demons—and mixes them with complicated love for family that feels authentic. The film should offer something for everyone—lest you grew up in a perfect bubble—and offers much food for thought along the way.
“Family Game Night” is currently in post production. Follow The Movie Buff for more info as it becomes available. You can watch the film’s trailer with the link below.
https://filmfreeway.com/FamilyGameNight385
