"The Humans"

An underdog award nominee last year this one is a quiet little film with some big stars.  It's simple -- one set, one night, one story.  A family comes together at Thanksgiving.  The location is a dumpy apartment in New York City.  The hosts are a young couple, the attendees are the sister, the mother, father and grandmother.  Let the depression begin!  Everyone has issues and most of those issues are hidden.  The passive-aggressive side remarks dig and dig until they come oozing out.  In other words, your standard family holiday.  It's artsy and has silent passages meant to convey -- well, things viewers could debate about.  Based on a play I'm not sure it translates well into film.  Under two hours it feels much longer.  One element of story, they say, is the path the characters are on, internal or external.  What barriers do they find in their quests?  How do they change in the course of the tale?  The answers to those questions are not evident here.  One reviewer stated "I'm not sure of what I just watched."  I get it.  I understand ... there is drama, family drama, personal drama.  There is horror, sort of.  Early on, one character notes that aliens visiting earth realize the monsters are actually us.  The film seems to lean into that with dark lighting and various creatures skittering along the walls.  But it's too much symbolism and not enough meat (pun intended).  It's "good acting" but beyond that there isn't a lot to hang your hat on.