75
Metascore
8 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 83The Film StageJose SolísThe Film StageJose SolísIt’s a film about the chaos of creation, about the violence that occurs in the creation of new worlds, deftly playing with genres to endlessly fascinating means.
- 83The PlaylistAnkit JhunjhunwalaThe PlaylistAnkit JhunjhunwalaWhile bereft of the lurid pleasures that have propelled Saltburn to its ubiquitous social media popularity, Brief History Of A Family is nevertheless a smart and engaging debut feature, and preferable since it has something of value to communicate to audiences.
- 80Screen DailyJohn BerraScreen DailyJohn BerraIt is a premise that facilitates a forensic examination of China’s family planning model within the quasi-futuristic trappings of its urbanised present. It is also paradoxically highly specific in its subject yet incredibly difficult to pin down in terms of its broader identity, as it skilfully skirts genre lines.
- 80VarietyCarlos AguilarVarietyCarlos AguilarNo doubt comparisons to “Saltburn,” “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” or “The Talented Mr. Ripley” will abound, but what Lin conceived is far more subcutaneous, with a sobering tone and disinterested in building up to a grand plot twist — though the resolution is unexpected.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenThe Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenWith its intriguing performances, narrative restraint and unanswered questions, the movie delivers a strong pull of yearning as well as tantalizing currents of suspicion and dread.
- 76Paste MagazineJacob OllerPaste MagazineJacob OllerCrafted with such delightful suspense that you can’t help but smile as you squirm, Brief History of a Family pulls from plenty of genre influences (its have/have-not friction and affluent apartment confines will be familiar to Parasite fans) to construct a tight dramatic metaphor encompassing Chinese parenting values and the end of a sociopolitical era.
- 75Slant MagazineChuck BowenSlant MagazineChuck BowenThe film’s pregnant foreshadowing is revealed to be misdirection, the promise of a thriller offered as candy to lure us into a consideration of the tensions that can cast a pall over family life.
- 50ColliderTherese LacsonColliderTherese LacsonThe ultimate ambiguity might be enough for some to praise Lin's work, but there's simply not enough to chew on by the end of the story for it to be a resounding success.