Lifelines

A famous cinephile once wrote that each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. Luckily for Tolstoy, he didn’t live to see Lifelines, which centers on a family that’s unhappy in just about every way possible. The bulk of the film consists—literally—of an extended therapy session, during which Dad (Pais) comes out of the closet, Mom (Adams) teeters on the edge of a nervous breakdown, and the three kids unveil various dark secrets. Most of the movie is merely excruciating, until a late revelation elevates it into the realm of the sublimely ludicrous.