Film Review: Kin (2018)

One of the things most common complaints against today's Hollywood is the lack of experimentation, or the persistent and frequent public insistence on trying to film the same plot through sequels, prequels, remakes, and reboots. A filmmaker who attempts to give the public something original or at least different from today's dominant formula is increasingly rare, and even fewer studio producers and directors are willing to finance such experiments. Such caution, however, isn't always groundless, as seen in the case of the film Kin, 2018 film that tried to give something fresh to American film repertoire in terms of form and content. This fillm flopped at the box office and also among critics who are generally inclined towards experimentation.

Kin was directed by the Baker brothers, Jonathan and Josh, based on their own short film Bagman from 2014. The story begins in Detroit, a city that has already become a symbol of the decline of modern Western civilization. The protagonist, 14-year-old African American boy Elijah "Eli" Solinski (Miles Truitt), grows up in this decaying environment. A few years ago, Eli was adopted by a white family led by Hal (Dennis Quaid), a construction worker who, despite his poverty, tries to guide his children on the right path. This effort was not entirely successful, as Eli attempts to earn a living by collecting trash from abandoned industrial plants. During one such expedition, he discovers an unusual object that appears to be a laser gun. Before Eli can decide whether it is of alien or futuristic origin, his family's life is complicated by the arrival of Hal's biological son, Jimmy (Jack Reynor), who has just completed a long prison sentence for petty theft. Jimmy insists on turning a new page, but he still cannot resolve his criminal past, as he bought protection from a local gang of dangerous criminals led by Taylor (James Franco) while in prison. They try to recover their debt by getting Jimmy to steal from Hal's business, but things get complicated, and in the end, Eli and Jimmy are forced to flee west, unaware that the gun Eli is carrying has become an object of interest for two mysterious detectives from another world.

The failure of Kin can, as in many similar cases, be most easily explained by poor marketing. Posters and trailers suggest it is a full-blooded sci-fi film, and perhaps even an attempt to create a youth-oriented sci-fi/fantasy franchise similar to Hunger Games or Divergent. On the other hand, viewers will end up with a genre that belongs to much more banal genres: "ordinary" thriller, drama, and road movie. For a moment, Kin feels like an "art film" trying to hit "Oscars" with its formula. Apart from the opening scenes and the ending that firmly places it in the sci-fi genre, Kin could, in fact, function perfectly as an "ordinary" film. The greatest credit goes to the excellent cast, which includes the young and still unknown Truitt, as well as Reynor, who tries to be the best stand-in for Chris Pratt, physically resembling him. Franco is effective, even if his character is just a variation of a few similar portrayals. Similarly, Zoe Kravitz plays a somewhat ungrateful role as a stripper, a character added merely to fill the quota of female characters. Alongside the good acting, Kin is distinguished by its quality direction, which comes to light in several effective action scenes, more than solid special effects, and the cinematography of Larkina Serpie and the music of Mogwai, which give the film a sort of "retro" feel reminiscent of the 1980s and films like The Terminator. Much of the good in this film is compromised by the final scenes, which are not very convincing in their depiction of police station showdown, or the epilogue that gives the audience too much "elegant" explanation of what they've seen, and suggests a sequel that is probably not going to happen. This is a shame, as Kin is a good film that deserves the audience, even though it is clear it could have been much better.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

(Note: The text in the original Croatian version is available here.)

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