Family Viewing

Family Viewing

Year: 1987

Runtime: 86 mins

Language: English

Director: Atom Egoyan

Drama

A strange force invades daily life, revealing emotional emptiness in our video‑obsessed society. Van visits his grandmother in a run‑down nursing home, while his father turns to phone‑sex for guidance and erases family home videos, replacing them with homemade pornography. As memories fade, Van races to save his grandmother and the fading recollections of his mother before they disappear.

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen Family Viewing yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!

Timeline – Family Viewing (1987)

Trace every key event in Family Viewing (1987) with our detailed, chronological timeline. Perfect for unpacking nonlinear stories, spotting hidden connections, and understanding how each scene builds toward the film’s climax. Whether you're revisiting or decoding for the first time, this timeline gives you the full picture.

1

Van visits Armen at the nursing home and meets Aline

Van frequently visits his grandmother Armen at a poor nursing home, and during these visits he meets Aline. Their conversations grow warmer as they share moments of care for Armen. Armen's fragile condition anchors Van's concern for her future.

Nursing home
2

Aline's family situation and bond with Van

Aline's mother lies in the bed next to Armen, and Aline works as a phone sex worker, which doesn't pay enough to move her mother to a better facility. Van and Aline’s connection deepens as they cross paths repeatedly while caring for the elderly women. The setup establishes the stakes and the unlikely alliance between them.

Nursing home
3

Stan’s reluctant visit and Armen’s reaction

Stan, Van's father, is hesitant to visit Armen but eventually goes to see her. Armen lashes out and attacks him during the encounter. Van tries to persuade his father to let Armen live with them, but Stan refuses.

Armen's nursing home
4

Van’s bid to relocate Armen faces resistance

Van pushes to have Armen move in with his family, hoping for a better life, but Stan resists. He also seeks help from Sandra, Stan's live-in lover, who declines to intervene in the situation.

Stan's home
5

The tapes are discovered and swapped

Van discovers that Stan is reusing old home movies to film himself with Sandra. He decides to swap the tapes for blank ones to protect Armen, setting off a chain of deception that shapes Armen’s fate. The plan intensifies the secrecy surrounding the family’s secrets.

Van's home
6

Aline travels to Montreal; Van cares for her mother

Aline is asked by a client to travel to Montreal, and she asks Van to look after her mother in her absence. This arrangement deepens their bond and places Van in a crucial caregiving role. The setup foreshadows the effort to remove Armen from the nursing home.

Nursing home / Montreal
7

Aline’s mother dies

While Aline is away, her mother dies by suicide from overdosing on her medication. Van learns of the tragedy and its impact on Aline, intensifying his resolve to move Armen. The event becomes a turning point in his plan.

Aline's home
8

Van stages a funeral to manipulate Armen’s fate

Van switches the identities of the two elderly women so it appears Armen has died. He tells his father that Armen is dead and holds a funeral for Aline's mother before she returns. The ruse is designed to clear a path for Armen’s removal from the nursing home.

Van's home
9

Armen moves in with Aline; Van joins in

Aline agrees to shelter Armen in her flat on the condition that rent is shared, and Van moves in as well. Van's father helps him get a hotel job, and Aline also starts working there, creating a shared life that facilitates Armen's potential exit from the nursing home.

Aline's flat / hotel
10

The tapes reveal more family secrets

While watching the tapes, Van discovers footage of his mother being tied up by Stan as part of their sexual activities. The revelation shocks him and deepens the moral ambiguity of the conflict. The new information heightens the stakes of Van’s plan.

Van's home
11

Stan hires a private detective and closes in

Stan discovers that Van switched the tapes and hires a private detective to locate Armen. Sandra visits Van to warn that the investigation is closing in, increasing the urgency to move Armen before she is discovered.

Van's apartment
12

Armen is moved to hotel storage, then to a better nursing home

With the detective's help, Stan tracks down the room where Armen is being kept in the hotel. To avoid discovery, Van reports Armen as a homeless woman staying in storage, and medical staff relocate her to a different and better nursing home. The sequence shows how the plan continues to evolve under pressure.

Hotel storage area; later nursing home
13

Final reunification scene with Armen

In the final scene, Van and Aline visit Armen and find her sitting and talking with Van's mother—Armen's daughter. The moment provides a quiet, hopeful note as the families intersect and reconcile in the end.

New nursing home

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 14:37

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Family Viewing Summary

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Family Viewing Summary

Characters, Settings & Themes in Family Viewing

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Characters, Settings & Themes in Family Viewing

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