After a world premiere in Tribeca’s international narrative competition, Slovenian director-writer Sonja Prosenc brings her third feature, the social satire “Family Therapy,” to contend in Sarajevo. The filmmaker’s latest provides an absurdist spin on the premise of Pier Paolo Pasolini’s “Teorema,” as the arrival of a handsome, young stranger disrupts the dynamics of an unpleasant, Slovenian family. While a fun watch for most of its run, Prosenc allows the narrative to spin out of control, running on past several natural endings.
As with the director’s previous films “The Tree” and “History of Love,” all shot by the talented Mitja Ličen (“Small Body”), the glorious cinematography, strong acting and breath-taking production design provide some compensation for the flaws of the screenplay. The striking opening moments, featuring a smoking car that bursts into flames along the side of a road and a family of three scrambling to safety, represent a bit of a bait-and-switch as the family pictured plays only a minor role in the film. Instead, the family of the title — the family Kralj (which translates as King, natch) — are in a fancy car speeding by the one in distress without stopping to help.
The strange, unsympathetic behavior of the Kraljs distresses 25-year-old French newcomer Julien (Aliocha Schneider), who has just arrived for an extended visit. He’s the son of family patriarch Aleks (Marko Mandić) from an earlier relationship. Clearly, .