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Dec 8, 2021 · The film's realism is not breached at any point by that final sequence. After all, the loud noises are just a reflection of Erik's panic, and the old lady who walks past the front door is just an ...
Nov 24, 2021 · The Humans, in theaters today and also airing tonight on Showtime, is an observant study of the things we share and suppress among family, and what we sacrifice...
- Jen Chaney
- TV Critic
Sep 12, 2021 · Every film made in response to 9/11 is a horror film in one way or another, but none of them — from the unbearable simulation of “United 93” to the eerie found footage of “Cloverfield ...
Nov 24, 2021 · The holiday-themed dysfunctional-family melodrama has a legacy that’s both celebrated and overworked, and the strength of “The Humans” lies in the way it scrambles the formula, leaning away...
- A holiday get-together filled with existential dread.
- The 31 Best Modern Horror Movies
- What's your favorite Thanksgiving movie?
- Verdict
By Tara Bennett
Updated: Nov 30, 2021 8:33 am
Posted: Nov 29, 2021 10:31 pm
The Humans is available now on Showtime.
The Humans was birthed by writer Stephen Karam in 2015 as a much-heralded Off-Broadway play that was then transferred to Broadway in 2016 and won the Tony. Five years later, Karam has reimagined that same story as a thoughtful and brilliantly acted film, bringing Tony Award-winning actress Jayne Houdyshell along with him to reprise her role as Blake family matriarch, Deirdre.
Set on Thanksgiving day, The Humans is now an overtly existential haunted house story, set entirely within the newly rented but decrepit duplex apartment of Brigid (Beanie Feldstein) and Richard (Steven Yeun) in downtown Manhattan. The couple has invited her parents, Erik (Richard Jenkins) and Deirdre, and grandmother, Momo (June Squibb), from Scranton, PA, along with Aimee (Amy Schumer), Brigid’s sister who is a lawyer in the city. Only a week into the creaky, wi-fi-impared abode, the two floors are sparse and cold, which sets the stage for one heck of a holiday hootenanny!
To be clear, The Humans is horror adjacent in that Karam most effectively uses the language of the genre, from its asymmetrical, claustrophobic framing to the washed-out color palette and jump-scare-inducing sound design, to tell his story. It’s a metaphorical “monster” movie that brilliantly deconstructs the unrealistic expectations we, as humans, bring into the Thanksgiving celebration. It channels our cumulative anxiety about the holiday to commune with our families while often sagging under the heavy weight of achieving pinnacle happiness and perfection while crammed around a table for a few hours. All of that literally oozes out of the apartment, with its peeling plaster, leaking pipes and paper-thin walls, revealing the dysfunction, passive aggressiveness, and secrets that families often drag into the room and eventually can’t ignore.
Led by the masterful Jenkins and Houdyshell, they bring their simmering angst with them as they roll the now dementia-stricken Momo into the awkwardly small halls of the apartment. Erik starts the day distracted while Deirdre clearly tries to be overly pleasant to balance out her cranky husband. Brigid is the sunny, optimist of the Blake family, while Aimee is the sharp-witted problem solver hiding her own issues. Rounding out the collection is Richard, the new(ish) boyfriend still trying to navigate the slippery family dynamics, while softly finding a path to revealing a bit more of himself to Brigid’s family.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Sweet November
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
Home for the Holidays
The Oath
Other -- let us know in the comments.
The Humans is a thoughtful and brilliantly acted meditation on family and humanity. Using Thanksgiving as the pedestal for perfection that we all try to achieve once a year, writer/director Stephen Karam and his cast slowly escalate the tension and isolation into a messy familial catharsis that is both potent in its literal and existential outcomes...
Sep 12, 2021 · Reviews. Sep 12, 2021 12:30pm PT. Critics Pick. ‘The Humans’ Review: A24 Has Stephen Karam’s Back, as the Playwright Adapts His Incisive Micro-Drama to the Big Screen. This exceptionally...
Nov 24, 2021 · Richard Jenkins Interview: The Humans. Karam spoke to Screen Rant about the winding journey of adapting his own work for film, the joy of discovering exactly the right actors for the role, and his hope for a future in movies. Screen Rant: The opening shot of The Humans was crazy. Stephen Karam: It's from my actual old apartment.
