TIFF 2021 Reviews ‘The Humans’

The Humans brings us together for a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner, adapted and directed by Stephen Karam.  It seems all too familiar while in the midst of a pandemic, hosting a small gathering in a tiny apartment, we see a family go through illnesses, children moving away and all the things that we all have to go through in life.

Erik (Richard Jenkins) and Deidre (Jayne Houdyshell) bring their family to visit their youngest daughter Brigid (Beanie Feldstein) and her partner Richard (Steven Yeun) in their new home. Barely being able to afford the place, Bridgid doesn’t feel the warmest welcome because their parents are unhappy they have to travel so far to visit. Her sister Aimee (Amy Schumer) is going through a breakup, their grandmother momo (June Squibb) can barely move in her wheelchair, we see the tension starting to build during their dinner.

In today’s tough economy, these scenarios are all real-life problems that we face, anxieties, and uncertainty of the future, and it feels so relatable watching another family disfunction. This film teaches us that even though our families bring out emotions, pain, and fear, that life is too short and our loved ones should be cherished. I found the film to be quite long and a bit boring, but overall it had important real-life scenarios we should all be focusing on.

A24 releases The Humans in theatres on November 24, 2021