Family Therapy follows the story of a seemingly perfect family whose lives are disrupted when a 25 year old Julian joins the clan, thereby opening a can of worms. The story here is unique with its narrative almost being absurd in many ways while attempting to be a black comedy with an underlying layer of a satire. The uniqueness here is also situational with respect to the characters that are wild in their own respective ways while presenting a polished side to the world. The screenplay standing at a shade above two hours transitions from being a black comedy to a more conventional drama of redemption, but the route that it takes is completely wild and absurd(ofcourse, in a good way).

The opening scene of the character of Julian being received at the airport itself is hilarious and sets the ball rolling for the rest of the drama to follow. So you are introduced to a privileged family who continue to remain unaffected even by the news of migrants playing over the radio. They are less receptive to change which is where the first conflict lies when Julian enters the scene. He is instantly looked down upon by Olivia and a fiercely disconnected Agata even as the viewers get to know that Julian is in fact Alexander’s child from a previous relationship. Sparks fly when the family are privy to a few other strangers that they refer to as ‘Refugees'(this is particularly relevant given that the drama is staged near the Italy-Slovenia border). And it says a lot when their bedrooms have looks too.

The drama relies heavily on imageries right throughout the narrative. The imageries are at times reflective of the mindset of the characters as well as adding a sense of dichotomy in their lives. For instance, the family is shown to stay in a glass house – a symbol of perfection but also fragility, something that the family would be experiencing soon with the arrival of Julian. The family itself is less receptive to changes around them, and so they do not allow ‘nature’ to enter their premises, in a way. This is represented by a rabbit which is eventually put out of its pity, a cute dog that eventually spells trouble, and a deer which is a silent spectator just like Julian. The elements of black comedy are restricted to the situations that the characters find themselves in, while each character is on a journey of their own that has a strong undercurrent of a social satire.

The story slowly transitions towards being a conventional drama(the story is divided into chapters), with the final chapter titled as ‘Redemption for Beginners’. I did feel that the drama did minutely falter at this juncture because the absurdity of the drama had to be equated with a coming of age tale, with each character having individual arcs. This wasn’t an easy task given that the viewers didn’t have enough time to invest in these transitions that felt a little sudden and abrupt at the end of the day. But there is a strong sense of comedy that continues to allow you to invest in the drama in a screenplay that is unique in many ways.