Despite the title suggesting some kind of schlocky horror or even a Charles Manson biopic, J. Davis’ directorial debut Manson Family Vacation is actually a well observed story of two estranged brothers reconnecting after the death of their father.
Uptight lawyer Nick (Jay Duplass) is anxious about the impending visit of his free-spirited brother Conrad (Linas Phillips), who is stopping by for the weekend on his way to join an environmental group on the West Coast. As a child, Conrad was adopted by a couple who thought they couldn’t have children, until eventually they had Nick and their father pretty much gave up on Conrad. Despite this, Nick is still upset with Conrad for refusing to attend their father’s funeral and that tension hangs over the brothers for the entire weekend.
Conrad has a habit of getting obsessed with some pretty morbid stuff and his latest fixation is Charles Manson. He carries his copy of Helter Skelter everywhere and is determined to drag Nick on a tour of the Manson murder homes, something Nick is reluctant to do but goes along as a chance to bond with his brother. The film’s funniest scene involves the two getting stoned and blagging their way into the iconic LaBianca house under the guise of the victims’ grandchildren.
Thanks to Davis’ smart script and the easy chemistry between Duplass and Phillips, Nick and Conrad’s relationship always rings completely true. They slip from comfortable male bonding to agonisingly truthful arguments and back again with the regularity and ease of real brothers and that is what makes Manson Family Vacation such a compelling watch.
When Nick and Conrad track down the man Conrad will be working for, a mysterious figure named Blackbird and played by Saw’s Jigsaw killer Tobin Bell, the film takes a turn into more sinister territory and a sense of dread permeates the third act, particularly as further revelations about the brothers’ family past further complicates their relationship.
Anyone coming to this film expecting a horror will either be sorely disappointed or pleasantly surprised to find a quiet and insightful film very much in the style of the indie films that Duplass tirelessly produces and directs with his brother – and more established actor – Mark. To reveal the exact twists and turns of the third act would ruin it but Davis’ script doesn’t use the Manson family connection to satisfy any bloodlust, instead it uses their spectre looming over the film as a way to explore unconventional families, an outsider’s search for a sense of belonging and an abandoned child’s need for a father who really wants him.
Unpredictable, surprising, funny and astute – Manson Family Vacation is a strong debut for J. Davis and an intriguing look at an unusual sibling dynamic, superbly acted by Jay Duplass and Linas Phillips.
