Kindred

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2:12

Kindred

2020

1h 41m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

69%

Tomatometer

78 Reviews

52%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

When her boyfriend Ben suddenly dies in an accident, mother-to-be Charlotte (Tamara Lawrance, Steve McQueen's Small Axe: Education) collapses upon receiving the news. She wakes up in Ben’s family home, a crumbling old manor house in the middle of nowhere with Ben’s overbearing mother, Margaret (Fiona Shaw, "Killing Eve"), and his controlling stepbrother, Thomas (Jack Lowden, Dunkirk). They are determined to care for her, at least until the baby arrives. Grief-stricken and increasingly haunted by visions possibly brought on by the pregnancy, Charlotte accepts their help. But as the days go by and her visions intensify, she begins to doubt the family's intentions and her suspicions grow that they may be trying to control her and her unborn baby.

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Critics Consensus

Kindred's naturalistic approach may frustrate viewers seeking jump scares, but this psychologically driven horror story casts its own grim spell.

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Steve Rose

Guardian

It's Shaw who steals the show, conveying her character as both a heartless monster and a woman haunted by her own past, with that kind of breathy, distracted haughtiness she does so well.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 2, 2021

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

This could have been the British Get Out, or at least a brutal dissection of class politics with added jump scares. Yet the novice director and co-writer Joe Marcantonio never moves beyond suggested ideas and themes...

Rated: 2/5

Jun 28, 2021

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Tim Robey

Daily Telegraph (UK)

By turning its heroine's confinement into a literal ordeal, Kindred grips best as a neo-Victorian nightmare of maternity.

Rated: 3/5

Jun 24, 2021

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Emma-Jane Betts

The Digital Fix

With an overreliance on classical music and loud sound effects for jump scares, and the strange decision to keep its female-centric themes at arm’s length, unfortunately, Kindred just isn’t all that scary.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 25, 2023

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

It all culminates in a chilling final act that is remarkably restrained (like the bulk of the film) and perfectly fitting.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 22, 2022

Full Review

Cate Young

Thirty, Flirty + Film

Kindred was terrifying to watch because it was marked not by force or physical violence but continued and unending gaslighting.

Nov 5, 2021

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Melissa L

I had seen this twice because I didn't remember much of it. It's eerie, and well-acted. I didn't like how she was treated, but I guess it worked out in the end. This is adapted from a book, but I haven't read it.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

08/24/25

Full Review

Grady H

Genuinely frightening, believable in its descent into a hopeless situation, and a stellar and memorable performance from the ever-reliable Fiona Shaw!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/02/24

Full Review

Cristina Bateman G

Anyone who has been in a psychologically abusive relationship, especially where the family of the significant other are not only well off, but brilliant at gas-lighting will definitely empathize with Charlotte! I personally know how hard it is to maintain sanity when you're constantly being told you're the crazy one! This movie can be very, very triggering! That said, it is really good... really frustrating, but definitely worth watching!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/27/23

Full Review

Zac

Meh, gaslighting and paranoia overdone.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/05/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Oooh this is good. Our highly talented director Joe Marcantonio shows familial coercion and abuse is of course way more terrifying than any number of jump scares or ancient tales of demons in masks. Tamara Shaw is our unfortunate victim , playing subtly enough to make us wonder occasionally if she is the victim at all .The dependable Fiona Shaw is the unhinged mother in law from hell (quite literally so when she loses her temper), and operating in tandem with the slimy and sinister Jack Lowden,they cut off all available escape routes. Heartbreakingly ,and inevitably, it seems no authority figure is riding to the rescue ( I would have loved more screen time for Anton Lesser as Dr. Richards ) . A bonus is a tantalisingly gruesome back story ( and if no more Dr or MIL screen time was available ,this would have been a neat diversion) as well as a brief homage to Hitchcock too. If you get sick of your own family at Christmas try this one.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Be careful who you have a baby with - their family might be crazy. And this film could've been a trip - but it failed to deliver on conveying real fear and captivity on the part of the protagonist.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

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Joe Marcantonio

Director

Fiona Shaw

Margaret

Tamara Lawrance

Charlotte

Jack Lowden

Thomas

Edward Holcroft

Ben

Chloe Pirrie

Jane

Detour

63%

43%

Detour

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for Detour

Strange but True

54%

83%

Strange but True

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for Strange but True

I See You

73%

74%

I See You

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for I See You

Captive

100%

82%

Captive

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London Fields

0%

33%

London Fields

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Kindred: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

When her boyfriend Ben suddenly dies in an accident, mother-to-be Charlotte (Tamara Lawrance, Steve McQueen's Small Axe: Education) collapses upon receiving the news. She wakes up in Ben’s family home, a crumbling old manor house in the middle of nowhere with Ben’s overbearing mother, Margaret (Fiona Shaw, "Killing Eve"), and his controlling stepbrother, Thomas (Jack Lowden, Dunkirk). They are determined to care for her, at least until the baby arrives. Grief-stricken and increasingly haunted by visions possibly brought on by the pregnancy, Charlotte accepts their help. But as the days go by and her visions intensify, she begins to doubt the family's intentions and her suspicions grow that they may be trying to control her and her unborn baby.

Director: Joe Marcantonio
Producer: Jack Lowden, Dominic Norris
Screenwriter: Joe Marcantonio, Jason McColgan
Distributor: IFC Midnight
Production Co: Serotonin Films, Head Gear Films, Kreo Films FZ, Metrol Technology, Reiver Pictures
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 6, 2020, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 6, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA): $8.7K
Runtime: 1h 41m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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