Family Obligations

Written and directed by Kenneth R. Frank, Family Obligations follows Chris Mollica’s Peter as he returns to his hometown after his father dies and soon learns that his estranged uncle (Frank Failla’s Frank) is dying of leukemia – with the narrative detailing Peter’s efforts at reconnecting with Frank and, eventually, befriending a single mother (Chandler Rosenthal’s Melanie) with problems of her own. It’s a familiar premise that’s employed to well-meaning yet rarely engaging effect by Frank, as the filmmaker, shooting on an all-too-obvious shoestring, delivers an often excessively rough-around-the-edges endeavor that never quite manages to click – with the arms-length vibe exacerbated by a whole host of distractingly less-than-professional elements. (The performances, well-intentioned as they may be, remain pitched at the level of community theater throughout.) There’s nevertheless little doubt that Family Obligations possesses an earnestness that often does compensate for its lackluster attributes, as scripter Frank offers up a heart-on-its-sleeve storyline that admittedly has its moments and touching aspects (eg the tentative relationship between Mollica and Rosenthal’s respective characters is fairly difficult to resist). The end result is a micro budget indie that never quite manages to overcome its low-rent origins, although it does seem entirely likely that Frank might just move onto bigger and better things.

** out of ****