Family Law (Derecho de Familia) (2006)

73% of critics liked it
(41 reviews)
69% of users liked it
(966 ratings)

Director Daniel Burman's "Fatherhood Trilogy" draws to a close with this follow-up to Lost Embrace detailing the efforts of a devoted lawyer and teacher to live up to the lofty standards set by his hard working father. Ariel Perelman, Jr. (Daniel Hendler) is a teacher whose widowed… More Director Daniel Burman's "Fatherhood Trilogy" draws to a close with this follow-up to Lost Embrace detailing the efforts of a devoted lawyer and teacher to live up to the lofty standards set by his hard working father. Ariel Perelman, Jr. (Daniel Hendler) is a teacher whose widowed father Ariel Perelman, Sr. (Arturo Goetz) maintains a strict daily regimen even in his old age. When Perelman, Jr. marries one of his students following a brief courtship and the couple fast begins forming a family, his wife's departure for a Pilates retreat leaves Perleman, Jr. faced with the daunting prospect of caring for his sixty-five year old father and doing his best to live up the elder Perelman's expectations. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Directed By: Daniel Burman
Written By: Daniel Burman
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Dec 8, 2006 Wide
Studio: IFC First Take

Critic Reviews

Marta Barber, Miami Herald
Full of subtle dark humor that won't make you bend with laughter but certainly may cause you to giggle.
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle
A subtly perceptive charmer that was Argentina's entry for a best foreign film Oscar and might have been nominated in a less competitive year.
Jonathan F. Richards, Film.com
The lessons of this slight human comedy are not groundbreaking, but they do strike a warmly universal chord.
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
This observant little movie does delicately touch on those unspoken assumptions that animate so many filial relationships. And the wry, soft-spoken tone is a welcome one amid the dysfunctional burlesques Hollywood routinely extrudes.
Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York
With its slack plotting, the film itself feels as aimless as its main character.
Tom Keogh, Seattle Times
Family Law offers a sweet, understated perspective on the psychological dance of wariness, hope and acceptance that occurs between many a father and son.
Brian Gibson, Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada)
A gentle little drama about the shades of fathers passing through their sons . . . brushed with light touches of whimsy and bemusement . . . a delicate questioning of the slight madness of city life, the rush so many of us are a little too swept up in.
Beth Accomando, KPBS.org
Family Law has a sweet sense of how families try to interact and connect... There's nothing big about this film but it's filled with small joys and insights.
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
Pin points the complexities of a father and his son, to a tee...
Eric D. Snider, EricDSnider.com
It's a nice film, offering a few smiles and very likable performances. It could stand to have its themes fleshed out a little more, though.
Kam Williams, EURWeb
A deceptively delightful meditation on the meaning of life.
Daniel M. Kimmel, Worcester Telegram & Gazette
...a charming and low-key effort from Argentina which was their contender for the foreign language Oscar, though it didn't get nominated.
Sean Means, Salt Lake Tribune
Burman based this comedy-drama on his experiences as a new father, and the results are warmly observational but slightly navel-gazing.
Jeff Vice, Deseret News, Salt Lake City
Drastically overplotted and overwritten and could have used some editing to make it a tighter, more modest character piece.
Donald Munro, Fresno Bee
Every movie is made up of certain nuts and bolts, and in Family Law they seem, quite frankly, a little loose.
Jim Hemphill, Reel.com
Family Law [is] one of the best examinations of [fathers and sons] ever committed to celluloid.

Read all 16 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]"Family Law" starts with Ariel Perelman(Daniel Hendler), a law professor, recounting how he met and fell in love with his wife Sandra(Julieta Diaz), a Pilates instructor, while she was auditing one of his classes. So taken was he with her that he… More
[font=Century Gothic]"Family Law" starts with Ariel Perelman(Daniel Hendler), a law professor, recounting how he met and fell in love with his wife Sandra(Julieta Diaz), a Pilates instructor, while she was auditing one of his classes. So taken was he with her that he started attending her classes and even helped out with a trademark infringement suit filed against her with an assist from his father Bernardo(Arturo Goetz), a renowned lawyer. Years later, Ariel and Sandra have a son Gaston(Eloy Burman). Even with everything going on in his life, Ariel is still at a loss when he gets an unexpected month long break...[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Family Law" is a knowing character study of not one person, but two which is important in considering the differences and similarities between fathers and sons. Ariel and Bernardo are both lawyers but very different ones and human beings. While both are uneasy with the concept of a vacation, Bernardo is social and active in his job while Ariel is withdrawn and passive. Ariel's attitudes were probably shaped by how he saw his father while growing up and perceptions are definitely an important part of their jobs, especially in how important a witness is in a trial.[/font]
William G

Slight drama places Pop on pedestal, uses narration as frequent crutch.

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Family Law (Derecho de Familia) (2006)

Critic Reviews

Featured Audience Ratings

Walter M

William G

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