One day, your parents will need you the way you needed them.

An innocent statement; however, when it comes with manipulation and guilt-tripping, is it worth anything? Meet the ClutterBucks, living in 2075 in El Paso, Texas. Billy and Madison ClutterBuck come back home, and they aren’t the same.

Madison (Kayla Raelle) has given up drinking and is now dating an astrologer. Billy (Brit Scott), meanwhile, returns with his pregnant girlfriend, Christina (Jacy King), and has abandoned his pursuit of a professional football career. To his parents, this feels like a betrayal they had pinned their hopes on him becoming their financial support after going pro. Forced into close quarters by an epidemic, these truths surface and tensions rise. With the parents (scarlet) and the children (cobalt) holding starkly different views, a clash of beliefs becomes inevitable.

The award for the selfish mother goes to Twyla (Laura Vale), for it is clearly portrayed that she would sacrifice any of her children for her own satisfaction.

Written and directed by Rich Ronat, The Clutterbucks has existed since 2016 as a draft. Rich states that the film is a call to action for a divided country, reminding us that we are all much more alike than different, and most of us want very similar things out of life. It is a message he conveys through this dark sci-fi comedy. At the same time, it represents the importance of respecting people’s dreams, goals, and decisions.

Watching this family try to navigate their differences is both frightening and hilarious. From the opening scene, it is clear how preposterous this film is going to be. The absurdity of their quarrels is heightened by the use of varied camera angles. Rufus Clutterbuck (Brian Gross) adds to the humor with his broken leg and constant need to carry pillows to rest it. Adalynn Clutterbuck (Bixby Baker), the youngest of the three, also contributes to the comedy with her blatantly rude puppet, which starkly contradicts her sweet personality

This film is character-driven, holding the viewer’s attention from start to finish. In the end The Clutterbucks is a bold satire that thrives on its eccentric characters proving family drama can be unsettling as well as irresistibly entertaining.