Film & Book Reviews by Ashley S.

People come into your life for many reasons, oftentimes you find that the ones who are seemingly unintentional are the most profound. A Family Affair (2024) is a romantic comedy that stars Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron, Joey King, Kathy Bates and more. This film centers around the life of a widowed mother and her daughter, who works for a famous actor/celebrity. There are present themes of idleness and comedic relief, along with sorrowful ideas of friendship and family and love.

Zara, who is played by Joey King, is a young girl that works as a personal assistant to a notable actor that has intense stardom. We can all imagine the candidness of handling someone’s personal tasks and knowing a lot about them. Zara was aware that Chris, played by Zac Efron, was a self absorbed asshole that was numb to the potential of abandonment. To consider the monetary status is unseemingly arbitrary to some but when you have the exposure to this lifestyle – it is difficult to not adapt to it. Zara had a means to an end with her commitment to Chris and that showed the viewer that she tried her best to be seen. It is easy to get lost when you are providing for someone else and they don’t see you. There’s that common saying: You don’t know what you have it until it’s gone. That is a consistent theme here.

Nicole Kidman plays Brooke, a widowed writer, mother to Zara. She carries herself with relaxed poise, steering herself through life as she navigates her art and her own needs. When Brooke encounters Chris, it is unexpected but pleasant and calm. It was interesting to see how their initial interaction unfolded, almost naturally as if it was going to happen irregardless. I love to think about serendipity and how there are people in our lives that we are just simply meant to meet. I was shocked to see that although Brooke is Zara’s mother, it went so far with Chris. As a mother, she was concerned — but as a woman that has been holding onto the trauma of her deceased husband, it was the first that she was able to be herself around a person that saw her in that way. On the other side, we can see how uncomfortable that is to be on the receiving end: My mother and my boss.

Zara is a hard worker but she doubts herself and I think that’s where she loses her streak. She feels subpar that she has not achieved her goals but is avoidant to her dismissiveness and unintentional quittings. I think that Zara is a good person that just didn’t know how to channel her energy in the right way. Sometimes, we think that the external factors are what is driving away from achievements but really it can be ourselves too. Chris being who he was, it was easy to take advantage of someone such as Zara. Her character could be considered tragic because of how difficult it was for her to find herself without feeling like all she could do was drown.

The conflict that I found myself having was one of honesty. Brooke was dishonest with Zara about the inception of her relationship with Chris. This made me wonder: She must be embarrassed that she has found herself falling her a man that employs her daughter. Alternatively, we can consider that Zara doesn’t need to be updated on every aspect of her mother’s life but one could argue that it could have been communicated more efficiently. The people in our lives are affected by the choices we make — I think for Zara, she was horrified that things could turn out very badly.

Mother and Daughter relationships can be tricky. Zara and Brooke seem to have an open but tense relationship. We see how they arrive at each other and the result of that as the film progresses. The world can be cruel and a mother can be a nest to always come back to. There will always be terror of the unknown, to trench into uncharted waters and try to swim. Brooke was romantic, a writer. Those types of people are filled with thoughts and patterns of thinking — They can hold the key to our hearts. They had a special love that was unspoken and bold, it carried them through time. There was so much emotion between Zara and Brooke – it brought me to that feeling of being loved by someone unconditionally.

Chris and Brooke were fanatically alluring. Their love was evident and true, there was no doubt of how effortless it was to get there. I grappled with his character and how he portrayed himself. I could tell that he was someone that maybe had gone through a lot but he just became who he was on his own principle. I think there relationship was beautiful and lovely but there was a sense of unknown there. Chris felt the uncertainty and it led to revealing circumstances. I was unsure of the future. I wanted there to be more.

Love cannot be discarded quickly, it can flicker like a flame. That other saying that goes: If it is meant to be, it will be. We cannot deny that the universe will show us what we deserve and gives you what you need. Of course, we experience the trials of life and love, but there can be good on the other side — We just have to be open to them.