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The Family I Had

Play trailer Poster for The Family I Had 2017 1h 17m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 69% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
A mother recounts how her seemingly ideal family was shattered after her brilliant son committed a violent act.
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The Family I Had

Critics Reviews

View All (5) Critics Reviews
Brian Tallerico RogerEbert.com The filmmakers never lose sight of the human beings looking for answers to impossible questions. Rated: 3/4 Dec 20, 2017 Full Review Jason Bailey Flavorwire The Family I Had sensitively and emotionally engages with the enormity and complexity of this situation, which transcends true crime and approaches Greek tragedy, and it just plain knocks the wind out of you. May 5, 2017 Full Review Chuck Bowen Slant Magazine Katie Green and Carlye Rubin's film documents the transferrable perversities inherent in familial life. Apr 23, 2017 Full Review Alan Ng Film Threat The Family I Had makes no attempt to be political or force an issue down your throat. It simply presents the facts and feelings as they are. You decide right and wrong, good and evil, justice and forgiveness. Rated: 3.5/5 Mar 20, 2018 Full Review Nathanael Hood The Young Folks By the end I was consumed with an aching love and sorrow for this family; I wanted to bring wholeness to their brokenness. Rated: 8/10 Apr 28, 2017 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (10) audience reviews
Mike P Heart-wrenching documentary about the Bennett family: where 13 year old Paris brutally murdered his 4 year old sister Ella in revenge against his mother, Charity, a drug addict, for relapsing. It's painful to watch this family; most painful to witness Charity's futility as she continually "dusts herself off, and soldiers on" in the face of all this horror. Horrific also to contemplate the devastation of mental illness, especially psychopathy; and witness the tragedy it has wrought in society. Very earnest, painful, heartfelt stuff. Recommended Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/04/25 Full Review Courtney K gosh; i had read that this documentary was a really hard watch - & while the crime is absolutely awful, I agree, this was not a 'really hard watch'. i found the documentary to be quite boring actually - there was no mystery/suspence/build up to anything. "the event" happens right away & everyone just talks about how awful it was after the fact. there was no story-telling or something.... idk. yes, the story is terrible. but the documentary is also terrible. It didn't paint any of the family members in a good light at all either... Rated 2 out of 5 stars 05/18/25 Full Review Ernest R This film hits hard and any parent, male or female, can't imagine how this could tax your brain 17 years later; as a dad I get it. There is another similar movie starring Tilda Swindon called "We need to talk about Kevin" is fictional but leaves you feeling hopeless, like in end of "Eden Lake". Keep your family close, then keep your family closer. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/22/25 Full Review Oaklee D An interesting documentary about a more then confronting subject and the impact on the people left behind. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 12/31/24 Full Review Kerry S A family and son who did nothing to prevent this murder. The movie tries to make the viewer empathize with them when they are to blame. Poor Ella. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 08/21/23 Full Review blue c A third of the way through the tears came and didn't stop. This is a profoundly sad story about people surviving an unbearable tragedy and trying to keep loving the perpetrator. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/12/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Family I Had

My Rating

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One Child Nation 98% 86% One Child Nation Watchlist TRAILER for One Child Nation The Mole Agent 95% 84% The Mole Agent Watchlist Victim/Suspect 79% 74% Victim/Suspect Watchlist Buck 90% 89% Buck Watchlist The Raft 90% 85% The Raft Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis A mother recounts how her seemingly ideal family was shattered after her brilliant son committed a violent act.
Director
Katie Green, Carlye Rubin
Producer
Katie Green, Carlye Rubin
Production Co
Motto Pictures
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 21, 2018
Runtime
1h 17m
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