Sundance Exclusive: Domestic Bliss Gets Complicated In Trailer For 'Family Life'

Families bring together people from different backgrounds, with different stories, all forming into a cohesive unit. But what happens when one person has built their new life around a series of lies? That’s the basis of the Chilean film “Family Life,” which heads to the Sundance Film Festival for its World Premiere.

Directed by Alicia Scherson and Cristián Jiménez, and starring Jorge Becker, Gabriela Arancibia, Cristián Carvajal, and Blanca Lewin, the story revolves around the aimless Martin, who is asked to housesit for his cousin who is taking his family to France for a few months. Soon, Martin strikes up a relationship with Pachi, and builds an elaborate story explaining why he’s a single man in a house built for a family, but the fantasy soon comes crashing down. Here’s the official synopsis:

When a married couple decides to move to France with their young daughter for a few months, they ask a distant cousin, Martín, to housesit and take care of their cat. At 40 years old, Martín has no kids, no wife, and no job. Despite Martín’s brooding and strange demeanor, the family dismisses any doubts they have and leave the house in his care. Left to his own devices, Martín spends his days indoors chain-smoking, looking through their belongings, trying on their clothes, and moving the furniture around how he likes. Slowly, Martín becomes seduced by the idea of family life, treating the house as if it’s his own.

One day, the cat goes missing. Martín goes out searching for him and falls for Pachi, an attractive single mother. He brings her to the house and wins her over by posing as a divorcee who doesn’t get to see his daughter because of his vindictive ex-wife. Before long, Pachi is bringing her young son over to the house, turning their casual fling into domestic bliss. As the imminent return of the real family gets closer and closer, Martín’s pseudo-family begins to unravel.

“Family Life” premieres at Sundance on Friday, January 20th at 2:30 PM at Prospector Square Theatre.

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