It has an impressive 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.
On top of releasing a glut of big movies on its platform this week (full list here), Netflix has also given its subscribers access to one of 2021’s best hidden gems, The Humans.
From the distribution company A24 (who kind of feel like the movie equivalent of HBO and seeing their logo appear at the start of something feels like an automatic seal of quality), the movie features an impressive, eclectic cast list including Richard Jenkins (The Shape of Water), Jayne Houdyshell (Little Women), Amy Schumer (Trainwreck), Beanie Feldstein (Booksmart), Steven Yeun (Minari) and June Squibb (Palm Springs).
It tells the story of a family who reunite for Thanksgiving dinner, and, over the course of one night, as tensions begin to rise between the relatives – as often tends to happen when families are reunited and alcohol is thrown into the mix – they begin to notice some mysterious things happening in their home.
As is often the case with movies like this, it is best to go in knowing as little as possible, but the psychological drama was given some high praise upon release in Irish cinemas in December 2021:
The Guardian – “There’s something both reassuring and terrifying about it all, the family’s resilient warmth and togetherness providing comfort as the existential horror of what it all amounts to chills us simultaneously.”
The Telegraph – “It gives you a family hanging on by a thread, and makes the careful tending of that thread feel so desperate it’s more than a little terrifying.”
Rolling Stone – “Every one of the performances is, to say the least, an example of what talented actors can bring to a piece of character-driven tragedy; there’s not a single weak link in this chain, while the collective chemistry suggests an instant history of affection, conflict, and shared cringing.”
The Atlantic – “The spookiness of The Humans conveys a larger point about the intimacy of family life. The Blakes’ shaky dynamic – their passive-aggressive asides and nonchalant appraisals – could be considered normal, but by using filmmaking techniques usually reserved for ghost stories, Karam challenges that normalcy.”
The Humans is available to watch on Netflix right now.
Clip via A24
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