The Tribes of Palos Verdes

Name: The Tribes of Palos Verdes
Director: Brendan Malloy
Released: 2017

2017

Synopsis

When the situation at her idyllic Palos Verdes home turns volatile, young Medina attempts to surf her way to happiness.

Votre Filmothèque

Cast

Recommandations

80
Variety
Though the story was written almost two decades ago, it’s a microcosm for the kind of wall-building mentality that has taken hold of the mainstream today, and the Malloy brothers achieve a kind of tragic poetry that sticks with those who make it a point to seek this one out.
63
Movie Nation
There’s a compactness to it all that I appreciate (“Big Little Lies” had more incidents, but like all limited-run cable series, the story drips out like molasses in winter). But the story and story arc here are truncated and can leave the viewer still-interested and somewhat dissatisfied when all is said and done.
60
The Hollywood Reporter
The directors and screenwriter Karen Croner are attuned to the different ways that Phil and Sandy selfishly draw their kids deeper into the domestic mess.
60
Village Voice
Garner erupts and expectorates with winning zeal.
50
The New York Times
The Malloys’ filmmaking never rises to the level of the actors’ nuanced performances. The actors are energized, but the camera enervates.
50
RogerEbert.com
The acting is good all around but that, too, improves in the quieter moments. Monroe, best known for her work in “It Follows,” is tough and committed, and Jennifer Garner’s portrayal of a mad housewife sprinting to a meltdown is acute, even if its does require her to tamp down pretty much all of her engaging life-positive qualities.
50
New York Magazine (Vulture)
It’s a gorgeous-looking, sensitively edited film to be sure, but never finds a dramatic foothold, no matter how many manic arguments and drug overdoses it throws our way.
40
Los Angeles Times
The directors get some melancholic atmosphere out of their visuals but don’t have the scene sense to build their actors’ committed performances into compelling through-lines of seaside personality disintegration.