Mark's ability to multi-task stood him in good stead for years with the two wives and two families he was concurrently maintaining on the East and West coasts. But unethical financial practices coupled with his polygamy and the chance meeting of his two daughters in college led to the exposing of Mark's monkey business.
"Family Pictures" is not so much a film about polygamy as it is the bonding of Mark's two wives, Margaret and Sylvie. The two women are a study in contrasts. In the socialite Margaret and the earthy Sylvie, Mark had the best of two worlds. The women were a virtual yin and yang of polar opposites.
When Mark disappears, Margaret and Sylvie meet for the first time. Their plan is not a revenge scheme, but strictly an attempt to survive after Mark left them destitute. It was especially the transformation of Margaret, who had to abandon her upscale lifestyle that was well portrayed: Margaret the patrician becomes Maggie the waitress.
The two daughters, Eve and Grace, also developed a comaraderie and a support system for one another. They had an instant connection when they first met as "prudes" at a party at NYU. When Eve goes on a drinking binge, Grace saves the life of her half-sister.
But the film truly belongs to Maggie and Sylvie. Their characters were well-written and well-performed by the two actresses. When the family secrets were revealed, they approached their vulnerable state with tenacity and relied on their support from one another to rid their lives of a man whose influence could have could have destroyed them.
"Family Pictures" is not so much a film about polygamy as it is the bonding of Mark's two wives, Margaret and Sylvie. The two women are a study in contrasts. In the socialite Margaret and the earthy Sylvie, Mark had the best of two worlds. The women were a virtual yin and yang of polar opposites.
When Mark disappears, Margaret and Sylvie meet for the first time. Their plan is not a revenge scheme, but strictly an attempt to survive after Mark left them destitute. It was especially the transformation of Margaret, who had to abandon her upscale lifestyle that was well portrayed: Margaret the patrician becomes Maggie the waitress.
The two daughters, Eve and Grace, also developed a comaraderie and a support system for one another. They had an instant connection when they first met as "prudes" at a party at NYU. When Eve goes on a drinking binge, Grace saves the life of her half-sister.
But the film truly belongs to Maggie and Sylvie. Their characters were well-written and well-performed by the two actresses. When the family secrets were revealed, they approached their vulnerable state with tenacity and relied on their support from one another to rid their lives of a man whose influence could have could have destroyed them.