Next of Kin (1984)

Unhappy living with his loveless parents, a young man convinces a family of Armenian immigrants that he's their long-lost son and moves in with them, improving all of their lives in the process.

Director:

Atom Egoyan

Writer:

Atom Egoyan

Stars:

Patrick Tierney, Berj Fazlian, Sirvart Fazlian

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Patrick Tierney	...	Peter Foster
Berj Fazlian	...	George Deryan (as Berj Fazalian)
Sirvart Fazlian	...	Sonya Deryan
Arsinée Khanjian	...	Azah Deryan
Margaret Loveys	...	Mrs. Foster
Thomas Tierney	...	Mr. Foster
Phil Rash	...	Foster Counsellor
Paul Babiak	...	Deryan Counsellor
Constantino Magnatta	...	Video Operator (as Tino Magnatta)
Andrew Coyne	...	Counsellor in Elevator
Peg Christopherson	...	Counsellor in Elevator
Linzee Collins	...	Receptionist
Robert Kosoy	...	Boy in Store
Charmaine Lord	...	Stripper
Hagop Apkarian

Storyline

Twenty-three year old Peter Foster, who still lives at home, used to find it entertaining to hear his parents continually argue in not liking each other very much. He no longer finds the situation entertaining, he coping by sleeping long hours, and retreating into a world of make believe. As Peter has been caught a few times in that fantasy world, his parents decide to deal with it by entering into family counseling, the sessions which are to be videotaped and to be viewed by each individual family member on their own before the subsequent session to view themselves objectively. After the first session, Peter is able to convince the counselor that part of his individual therapy should be to go away for a week, which Mr. Foster gladly pays for for the greater good of the family. Peter is to keep a diary, written or audio recorded, each day of his time away. What Peter really has in mind is to delve deeper into that world of make believe. He has learned of an immigrant family in Toronto...

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Plot Keywords:

videotape | armenian | talking to the camera | search for identity | role playing therapy | 

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Taglines:

Peter wasn't happy with his family, so he found a new one

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Atom Egoyan: passenger taking his suitcase at the airport.

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Connections

References The Graduate (1967)

User Reviews

An underestimated and little known film

Atom Egoyan's first feature length film is highly unknown and even somewhat hard to find. It is really a great film though. It is about a young man who's having problems with his WASP family. While going to "video" therapy, he sees an Armenian couple who gave their son up for adoption. What follows is a remarkable film about searching for yourself and for the perfect family. Like most of Egoyan's films it is set in an unknown city and country, and he never says the family is Armenian but we learn from their culture they are. I like that fact because he lets the viewers make up their minds as to what country it is in and so forth.

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 November 1984 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Közeli rokon

Filming Locations:

Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD37,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ego Film Arts

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1