By: Andrew Wing

The Humans is a 2021 American drama film written and directed by Stephen Karam in his directorial debut, and based on his one-act play of the same name that opened on Broadway in 2016 where it was very successful (was a finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Play). A24, IAC, Scott Rudin (produced many award-winning films including No Country for Old Men, Uncut Gems, Lady Bird, The Social Network, and The Truman Show) and Eli Bush (has produced many A24 films including Ex Machina, Eighth Grade, and Mid90s) made a deal in March of 2019 with Stephen Karam to adapt his play into a feature-length film and principal photography began just six months after in September 2019 in New York City. In April 2021, Scott Rudin was removed as a producer on the film following allegations of abuse

The film stars Richard Jenkins (Step Brothers, The Shape of Water), Amy Schumer (Trainwreck, I Feel Pretty), Beanie Feldstein (Lady Bird, Booksmart), Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead, Minari), June Squibb (Meet Joe Black, Nebraska), and Jayne Houdyshell (Downsizing, Little Women) who actually reprises her role from the Broadway production in the film. The film follows a family getting together for Thanksgiving as their daughter is moving into her new apartment, and during their day together we see family tensions reach a boiling point.

The Humans had its world premiere at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2021. The film was released by A24 on November 24, 2021, both in theaters and on Showtime.

THE GOOD

Whenever you get a film adaptation of a Tony-award winning play, that obviously gets you going, at least for me it does. But when I saw the all-star cast they put together for this, that only added to my already very high level of excitement for this. I mean we got two of my favorite actors in Richard Jenkins and Steven Yeun (go check out my review on Minari for which he got a Best Actor nomination for), but also two great young actresses with Amy Schumer and Beanie Feldstein. This movie has been getting a lot of awards hype, so keep reading to find out if I think it lived up to the hype.

First things first, Stephen Karam absolutely killed it in his directorial debut. With him doing the one-act play, he obviously knew what he wanted for the film and it was so evident while watching that Karam clearly knew exactly how he wanted to shoot every scene. A lot of the shots we get are very long and from one angle, and that just made for a much more immersive experience. The direction for this film was just excellent. He seized the opportunity to use the powers of filmmaking to tell his story in a brand new way and in doing so he announces himself as someone to be taken very seriously which is all the more impressive considering this is his first film.

The reason I was so excited for this film was without a doubt it’s all-star cast and they did not disappoint. It is so hard to pick a standout in this film as literally all six of the players involved make their presence felt in big ways, but if I had to choose, it would be a tie between Richard Jenkins and Jayne Houdyshell. Richard Jenkins was just perfect. It’s a role that he is very well equipped to play just based on how he might be typecast. He is especially great in the second half of the film as his performance deepens towards the end and I would love to see him get his third Oscar nomination (Best Actor for The Visitor, and Best Supporting Actor for The Shape of Water) for his performance here. As I said in the introduction, Houdyshell reprises her role from the Broadway production which she won a Tony for and it didn’t take long to see why. She had a couple scenes where there is a lot of pain going on around her and the way she expresses it in very subtle ways is quite impressive. She does also get some of the film's most coveted scenes and she does not disappoint to say the least.

I honestly enjoyed every cast member, but I just need to address the performance we got out of Amy Schumer real quick. Amy Schumer is one of my Mom’s favorite actresses because she is hilarious, but in this film we really get to see just how good of an actress she is. She fit perfectly into this role and I was very impressed with her performance that was easily the most dramatic one we have ever seen from her. All in all, with how great the acting was, all the family interactions felt very authentic and the dialogue just felt so natural and conversational and that took the film from being good to great. Not for one second did it feel like the actors were reading lines off a script and it just proves that this is one of the best ensemble casts of any film that has come out this year.

The sound design was also ridiculously good and very interesting as there’s this whole bump-in-the-night thing going on throughout the film. We got sounds from the radiators, we got creaking floors and doors, and we also have the neighbors upstairs making these bump noises that frighten the characters. The sounds made me feel like I was just waiting for a horror movie to break out at the seams of whatever is going on here in this apartment. While it isn’t a horror film in the traditional sense, the sound design is so good that it brings the existential horror to life as it reveals the anxieties of the characters in a way that was very impactful.

The production design for this film was very impressive too. The cast of players are in the apartment for the entire movie and they just did an amazing job making this look like a real NYC apartment with the bubbles in the wall, the external radiators, and many other small details. The way they lighted the apartment was very well done too as there was very little natural light coming through the few windows in the apartment. They just paid attention to every little detail and they honestly made the apartment itself feel like a character in its own right.

Lastly, the ending to this film is very bizarre and very cool at the same time and I really liked how it ended. I won’t say much more because I don’t want to spoil it, but it will throw you off in the best possible way.

THE BAD

If you can’t tell yet, I really enjoyed this film. There is nothing I didn’t like about it, but I just want to address some things I’ve seen getting pointed out. First, it is an A24 film and it’s label fits pretty well here as it is very strange and unlike any other movie you’ve seen.

Also worth noting is that the film has a very unconventional filming style that will probably throw a lot of people off. Speaking of unconventional, it is also unconventional when it comes to the story as there aren’t any character arcs. The story itself just might have people feeling cold after finishing this one. I say that because unlike the last film I reviewed in King Richard (see full review here) which was a feel-good crowd pleaser, this film is the complete opposite as it feels very cynical, and also quite down and depressing at times. The film definitely contains some great family moments (some are very funny) as the family is trying to connect and striving to unconditionally love each other, but at the end of the day the film is about (1) existential horror and (2) how regular Americans are in a state of anxiety at all times over their finances, health, relationships, and pretty much any major anxiety you can think of which is a very sad truth.

THE VERDICT

With outstanding performances from the entire cast, The Humans is one of the best movies of the year as it is an extremely unique and layered portrait of family and unrest in an age of immense anxiety. Stephen Karam had himself one of the best directorial debuts we have seen in a while as he brought his one-act play from the stage to the screen. His direction was superb, but his writing was even more impressive as he gives us a very deep script full of dialogue that is brilliantly written.

Not only is it one of the best films of the year, The Humans is also one of my personal favorite movies of the year and is yet another home run from the entertainment distribution company A24.