The Automatic Hate

If you think your family is a little messed up... well, meet the Greens. Liking this movie is not tacitly condoning any of the lifestyle choices/mistakes here... it's simply appreciating the way a quite sordid (and disturbing) family story is told. And I thought this was a well done and interesting tale about (very) deeply buried family secrets, and the generational damage they can inflict. I'd be a 7+ rounded up to an 8 to offset those who didn't take this arthouse film seriously enough.

Imagine an unspeakable family secret... now take it to the next generation, curious about each other, who they are, what they don't know, and what really happened. That's a start here. Some might call this kind of storytelling "brave," and yes, others will be distressed... but a good movie intrigues you, and gets you to think. This does that.

The young actors are all good, but it's feuding brothers (Richard Schiff and Ricky Jay as highly educated siblings who have chosen very different life paths) who deliver the tension and drama... and they're both great here. The ending is a bit nebulous, but it works here... the viewer can try to imagine what happens next. (I know I'm pondering it). Better than the reviews... I'd recommend it, but it's not going to be for everyone.