letter,arkansas,birth,biracial,matriarchy

A Family Thing (1996)

Poster for A Family Thing

With family, everything is relative.

Earl Pilcher Jr. runs an equipment rental outfit in Arkansas, lives with his wife and kids and parents, and rarely takes off his gimme cap. His mother dies, leaving a letter explaining he's not her natural son, but the son of a Black woman who died in childbirth; plus, he has a half brother Ray, in Chicago, she wants him to visit. Earl makes the trip, initially receiving a cold welcome from Ray and Ray's son, Virgil. His birth mother's sister, Aunt T., an aged and blind matriarch, takes Earl in tow and insists that the family open up to him.

Cast & Crew

Director
Richard Pearce
  • Profile picture of Robert Duvall
    Earl Pilcher Jr. Robert Duvall
  • Profile picture of James Earl Jones
    Ray Murdock James Earl Jones
  • Profile picture of Michael Beach
    Virgil Michael Beach
  • Profile picture of Irma P. Hall
    Aunt T. Irma P. Hall
  • Profile picture of Grace Zabriskie
    Ruby Grace Zabriskie
  • Profile picture of Regina Taylor
    Ann Regina Taylor
  • Profile picture of David Keith
    Sonny David Keith
  • Profile picture of Jacqueline Williams
    Woman at Hospital Jacqueline Williams

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Keywords

  • letter
  • arkansas
  • birth
  • biracial
  • matriarchy