Reunited for their beloved family member’s memorial service, old hurts, and dark secrets threaten to tear the fragile threads holding the family together.
Before everyone in the Frankel family is reunited, we are introduced to them individually within their own settings. David and Marylin (Chris Mulkey and Suzanne C. Johnson) prepare for the arrival of their children in their country home. Clarissa (Perrey Reeves) and her husband Nathan (James Tupper) stop at a motel in a desperate attempt to conceive despite already being late. Noelle and her husband Amram (Annika Marks and P.J. Byrne) have recently become Orthodox Jews and are traveling back to the states from Israel with their children for her brother’s memorial. Lily (Radha Mitchell), who is the most rebellious of the last Frankel sisters, arrives without her husband. Lastly, arrives Thisbe (Lyndie Greenwood), who is the mother of Leo’s son. Immediately after the family is reunited, it is evident that secrets and unspoken concerns plague this family.
There is a very well-balanced sense of control in this film that allows the story to straddle the line between lighthearted family squabbles and deep emotional catharsis. The family dynamic that the actors portray whilst interacting with one another, is fascinatingly familiar. It’s reminiscent of the familial teasing and arguing you’d witness within your own family gatherings. The record your loved ones keep in memory of who you were and who you’ve become is something most people have dealt with who are lucky enough to have a family for a lifetime. This is specifically evident in the back and forth between Lilly, Noelle, and Amram. Lily is merciless at reminding them of their lives and personalities before their religious conversions. Noelle and Amram are reciprocally merciless in their jabs at the lack of structure in Lily’s life. They are constantly at each other’s throats but this constant bickering is because they have been ingrained in one another’s lives so much that they know the shortcomings and faults of the other.
“The World Without You” also brings up the question of survivors’ guilt. Everyone is, on some level, guilty of how they’ve handled Leo’s death and their lives beyond his. Thisbe struggles with sharing a bond with this family in her and Leo’s child and having a life completely separate life from them. Marilyn continues to grieve her son and investigate the circumstances of his death. Not in an attempt to uncover any wrongdoing but rather in search of some peace of mind as to why Leo died. Everyone is on a different level of guilt in regards to their own lives. They find difficulty in differentiating and commemorating Leo and forgetting him by moving on with their lives. The pauses and secrets they’ve put on their lives all stem or at the least correlate to the delay in fully memorializing Leo who died a year before this memorial was set up.
The film slowly unravels itself as we spend time learning and witnessing how each family member has handled this trauma. Gradually, we learn alongside the Frankel family that life continues to move on even if we decide it should stop. “The World Without You” doesn’t serve as a new template for family drama but does bring a sense of comfortability with the actors’ performances. Witnessing a family come to terms with this loss and their individual choices on how they will continue their lives can easily get dull. This film prevents us from falling into that lull with intense dialogue and performances. A solid entry in the grieving family drama genre.
Now available on Video-On-Demand
