This is more than just a nihilistic revamp of Home for the Holidays. It's bleaker than that, more forensic in its analysis of innate human hopelessness.

The casting is... first-rate, with Richard Jenkins and a wounded, garrulous Jayne Houdyshell the standouts.

The ensemble remains electrifying against the damp.

The story fell flat to me. The cinematography was all over the place when it didn’t need to be. It was an immersive experience at times, but there were too many gimmicks that took me out of the moment, which is the opposite of what a film is meant to do.