Brief History of a Family
Make yourself at home.
Directed by Lin Jianjie
Produced by First Light Films, Tambo Film
A tense, introspective family drama that uses an outsider's arrival to excavate buried resentments and the weight of unfulfilled expectations in post-one-child-policy China.
A middle-class family's fate becomes intertwined with their only son's enigmatic new friend in post one-child policy China, putting unspoken secrets, unmet expectations, and untended emotions under the microscope.
Clusters
Questions people ask
Is Brief History of a Family sad? Yes, very. More sad than 96% of films.
Does Brief History of a Family end with hope? Barely. Less hopeful than 78% of films.
Is Brief History of a Family scary? Somewhat. More frightening than 72% of films.
Is Brief History of a Family easy watching? Not especially. Less comforting than 61% of films.
Is Brief History of a Family violent? About average. Almost exactly mid-range.
These describe how the film comes across, measured across the whole film and compared with other well-known films. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked scene by scene, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.
Cinnamon Score
How much this film gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.
You have seen this shape before.
How unlike any other film this one feels
How much more it delivers than it promises
How much audiences actually like it
Ensemble
Like Brief History of a Family
Nearest across the full emotional profile.
Same Mood as Brief History of a Family
Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.
Like Brief History of a Family, But Darker
Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.
Like Brief History of a Family, But Lighter
Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.
Like Brief History of a Family, But Less Popular
Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.
