Family dramas are the most relatable films out there

Family, coming-of-age comedy-dramas are the most compelling films as audiences' can relate to them on an emotional level that they don't get from watching Batman or James Bond

Hailee Steinfeld in 'The Edge of Seventeen' (CREDIT: TIFF)

by Jack Linsdell

In an era of Hollywood dominated by the big blockbuster superhero/heroine capers, the ensemble fantasy epics and balls-out action/thriller's, there is one genre that gets overlooked. Yes, I'm talking about the family drama/coming-of-age comedy movies which fly under so many people's radars, normally because their budgets are like the size of an Acorn to the massive tree of the blockbuster and usually contain very few actors that people would recognise. However, although Hollywood might survive on the billion-plus dollars that these blockbusters earn, how many of us can truly relate to Batman, James Bond or Newt Scamander saving the world from extinction? The answer, very few people (I hope!). However, the family/coming of age drama is in my opinion the most relatable genre for film and television as they deal with characters that are realistic constructs for ourselves/people we know and deal with events/themes/problems that we all have to deal with in our every day lives.

Recently, my viewing experience has brought me (coincidentally) into watching several exceptionally well-made, deeply compelling/entertaining and greatly relatable family/coming of age dramas. On Netflix, I've recently binged (for want of a better term) on the two seasons of 'Santa Clarita Diet' starring Drew Barrymore and the two series of autism romantic-comedy-drama 'Atypical'. Now, these both are family television dramas, that I'd also class equally as coming-of-age comedies. And, their quality was so outstanding that I went from watching episode to episode, until the series were completed. Indeed, they both are deeply entertaining. 'Santa Clarita Diet' makes fantastic uses of black comedy surrounding Barrymore's character eating people to survive and the impacts this has on her family, whilst 'Atypical' uses the autistic condition of its protagonist to provide the humour (his bluntness can come across as rude to many, and very honest to a few). 

However, beyond being entertaining both series invested me into their characters pretty much from the initial episodes, to the point that I had to keep watching because I was so interested in their journey's. The reason for this is because their characters/themes/plots mirrored my life in uncanny ways, and this made the series so relatable. Yes, I know ultimately as storytellers they exploited my relatability to make sure I watched all episodes, but who can blame them? Why is it that I could just keep watching episodes of both these series in a way I couldn't do with say the Bond films (although I'm a big fan) or a Batman TV season? The answer is clearly that this genre is the most relatable and is entertaining at a deeper level than a conventional blockbuster. Those films rely on action spectacle, plots filled with mystery/suspense and/or one liners to be entertaining. And yes, that is entertainment in its simplest form. However, what the family/coming of age comedy-drama shows us is that the more relatable the story, the deeper the entertainment value to the audience. 

The other example of this is Hailee Steinfeld's (yes, I know I've been talking about her a lot recently but she is truly an inspirational, one of her kind talent) coming-of-age drama 'The Edge of Seventeen'. In that Steinfeld's Nadine hasn't got a purpose, suffers from depression and a craving to find a relationship to care for and be cared by someone. And, as a young adult whose going through a similar period of time, her character and indeed the whole film are deeply relatable and provide me the greatest depth of entertainment. And, no wonder why it's so relatable as writer/director Kelly Fremon Craig interviewed hundreds of teenagers to gain research for the film. But, it isn't because I'm of the target audience that this film is the most relatable. Indeed, every adult has been a teenager once and therefore general audiences can all relate to these characters and themes being explored. However, these storylines always include the wider family, which contains older characters of both genders, whose own problems/conflicts are relatable to those demographics of audience at that time too. 

The point is that for me, the coming of age/family drama carries the emotional weight and deep relatability to be taken seriously, often turning out star performances from their casts and providing us as the audience with truly moving and tear-jerking moments. However, they also contain a real balance of realistic, true life comedy that is deeply associable and funny at the same time to lighten the mood occasionally when things get a little heavy. It gives these genre films a feel-good factor that is impossible to get anywhere else. The closest film type to it is the musical probably.

So, if you want to be truly entertained hit up Netflix, YouTube or your local DVD outlet and start feasting upon the deeply-entertaining and richly relatable genre of films and television I'm calling the family/coming of age comedy-drama. My three suggestions to start with would be Netflix's 'Santa Clarita Diet' and 'Atypical' and Hailee Steinfeld's Golden Globe nominated starring turn as Nadine in 'The Edge of Seventeen'. Beware, have some tissues but also some cream to ease the aching of your jaw afterwards.