Family is the most basic unit in any given society. Patrick Wang is the writer, director, producer, and main character of the thrilling and captivating film titled in the family. This piece seeks to analyze the film, emphasizing the casts’ portrayal in Patrick Wang’s attempt to communicate the major issues of concern facing the contemporary Asian-American community.
In the film’s introduction, we are introduced to a middle-aged man of Asian origins named Joey Williams. He is a contractor who drives a red pickup van. He is seen to be living happily with his partner, Cody Hines, who is a school teacher by profession. Together, the couple has a six-year-old son, Chip. Patrick Wang presents these introductory scenes to portray a happy and fulfilling family life for the three characters. From the introduction, Patrick Wang presents a contemporary family setup where the couple is homosexual. The family setup is a deviation from the traditional Asian-American family. By presenting Joy Williams and Cody Hines’ family as a happy and comfortable one, Patrick Wang has achieved to communicate the liberal orientation which modern Asian-Americans conform to.
As the film progresses, Cody Hines passes on in a car accident. As naturally expected, Chip continues living under the care of Joey Williams. The two are seen to be leading a happy life, and their father-son relationship is undeniably healthy. This further strengthens the presupposition that Joey Williams and Chip have an unbreakable bond. However, Patrick Wang introduces a twist in the storyline by introducing a female character, Eileen, Cody Hines’ sister. Eileen presents a will stating that Cody had granted her Chip’s custody and accorded her the heiress of all his properties. Firstly, Eileen’s will dates back immediately after the demise of Chip’s mother and before Cody Hines had met Joey Williams. Therefore, the twist creates a lot of questions in the viewers’ minds as they think of the probability of Joey Williams being granted Chip’s custody had the will been written after Cody Hines and Joey Williams’ relationship. It also leaves the viewers in suspense as the reasons why Cody Hines had not updated his will aren’t clear.
Court proceedings dominate the better part of the following scenes as Joey Williams legally fights to Chip’s custody. Although his friends encourage him to remain optimistic, the viewers can see that the probability of Joey being granted Chip’s custody is very minimal. Due to the nature of his work, he meets Paul Hawks, a local attorney who has contracted him to renovate his house. Paul Hawks gives Joey Williams a legal perspective of the custody case. After a series of court hearings, the court finally grants Chip’s custody to Joey William. However, the two struggled to rebuild the initial father-son relationship they shared at the beginning of the film.
In conclusion, the film has achieved to communicate the struggles that Asian-Americans go through as far as family relationships are concerned. Firstly, the storyline is developed to address the modern homosexual family in which Joey and Cody are in as they co-parent and raise Chip. This is a deviation from the traditional Asian family setup of heterosexual families. Moreover, the film also focuses on the struggles that an Asian-American homosexual goes through in the American legal system. It is evident that Joey’s struggle before being granted Chip’s custody is partly because of his sexuality and race.
Work cited
In the family. Dir. patrick wang. Perf. patrick wang. 2011.
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