The Price of Family

The Price of Family

Year: 2022

Runtime: 90 mins

Language: Italian

Director: Giovanni Bognetti

Comedy

Heartbroken that their children no longer want to spend time with them, two parents fake an inheritance to bring the family together for Christmas.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – The Price of Family (2022)

Explore the full timeline and setting of The Price of Family (2022). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Contemporary (early 21st century)

The events unfold in a present-day setting, leveraging modern technology like video calls to stage the deception and coordinate plans across borders. The plot centers on current concerns—inheritance, career ambitions, and health costs—within a family drama. The story juxtaposes traditional home life with cosmopolitan environments to highlight tensions between roots and mobility.

Location

Italy (small town), Paris, France, United States

The story centers in a quiet Italian town where Carlo and Anna maintain their family home, contrasting humble roots with the lure of urban life. Their children Alessandra and Emilio move to the city, testing family ties across distance. The plot travels to Paris for medical treatment and to the United States for private care, highlighting how wealth and health intersect with family dynamics.

🏡 Italian town 🌆 City life ✈️ International travel

Last Updated: October 01, 2025 at 10:01

Main Characters – The Price of Family (2022)

Meet the key characters of The Price of Family (2022), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Carlo Delle Fave (Christian De Sica)

Patriarch of the Delle Fave family who feels the strain of his children’s growing distance. To reel them back in, he and Anna fabricate a six-million euro inheritance, showing both his willingness to go to extreme lengths and his desire to protect the family image. His deception backfires emotionally, revealing his vulnerability and stubborn pride. By the end, he confronts the consequences while still clinging to a hope for reconciliation.

👨‍👩‍👦 Family 💸 Inheritance 🤔 Pride

Anna Delle Fave (Angela Finocchiaro)

Mother who participates in the ruse to bring her children back home, showing pragmatism and longing for family closeness. She orchestrates the deception about Carlo's supposed illness and later shares the truth when pressed. Her actions reveal a mix of devotion and moral compromise, and she faces the consequences of the lie while seeking reconciliation.

🧭 Morality 💸 Inheritance 👩‍👧 Family

Alessandra Delle Fave (Dharma Mangia Woods)

Daughter who moved to the city, pursuing independence and aims to start her own business. She reconnects with her parents under tense circumstances, balancing practical ambition with a sense of family duty. Alessandra embodies a modern, entrepreneurial spirit while still craving support and belonging.

💼 Ambition 🏙️ City life 🌱 Growth

Emilio Delle Fave (Claudio Colica)

Son who left the family for the city, initially distant and emotionally guarded. He engages with his parents’ deception cautiously but remains open to returning to a healthier relationship. Emilio shows a willingness to support the family during hardship, illustrating restrained reconciliation and loyalty.

🏙️ City life 🗣️ Communication 🧭 Reconciliation

Giuliana (Fioretta Mari)

Grandmother and steady guiding force who helps the younger generation reflect on their selfish attitudes. She reveals she had inherited a large sum of money, adding irony to the idea that true value lies beyond wealth. Giuliana provides emotional grounding and facilitates the eventual family reconciliation.

🧓 Wisdom 💎 Hidden Wealth 👵 Grandparent Guidance

Rocco (Francesco Marioni)

Anna's partner who left her, a backstory catalyst for the family’s stress and emotional history. His absence shapes the daughters’ outlook on relationships and stability, serving as a reminder of the consequences of broken promises. While not central to the resolution, his presence looms over the family’s attempts at repair.

💔 Heartbreak 🕰️ Backstory

Last Updated: October 01, 2025 at 10:01

Major Themes – The Price of Family (2022)

Explore the central themes of The Price of Family (2022), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🕊️ Family Bonds

The Delle Fave family is tightly knit but fractured by distance and pride. The parents’ plan to reclaim their children through deceit reveals both affection and fragility in their relationships. Reconciliation arrives only after honesty, reflection, and the influence of the grandmother.

🔎 Deception and Truth

A game of appearances drives the plot as a supposed six-million-euro inheritance temptation prompts the kids to reconnect. The lie about Carlo’s illness and the later revelation expose moral compromises and the costs of keeping up appearances. The turning point comes when the truth surfaces and reshapes trust within the family.

🌱 Reconciliation and Growth

The near-rupture becomes a catalyst for personal and familial growth. Giuliana’s guidance helps the younger generation reassess their selfish attitudes. The discovery of hidden wealth adds irony to the idea of true value, and the ending suggests that reconciliation is possible when honesty and care replace pride.

Last Updated: October 01, 2025 at 10:01

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Bittersweet family scheme movies like The Price of Family

Families who use a well-intentioned lie to mend their broken bonds.Find more movies like The Price of Family where a family's desperate attempt to reconnect involves a heartfelt deception. These stories blend comedy and drama, exploring the bittersweet consequences of lies told for love and the messy path to reconciliation.

heartwarmingmelancholicfrustrateddeceptivenostalgichopeful

Narrative Summary

The narrative follows a clear arc: a family unit is fractured by distance or misunderstanding, a central character(s) initiates a deceptive plan to force a reunion, the scheme creates both humorous and tense situations, the truth is inevitably revealed causing conflict, and the story culminates in a hard-won emotional resolution that acknowledges the hurt but values the connection more.

Why These Movies?

These films are grouped by their shared bittersweet tone and the specific plot device of a 'well-meaning lie.' They balance the warmth of family interaction with the melancholy of deception, creating a relatable and emotionally nuanced viewing experience centered on forgiveness and understanding.

Holiday family reunion movies like The Price of Family

Stories where a festive setting forces a fractured family to confront their past.If you liked The Price of Family, discover similar movies about families reconnecting during the holidays. These films use seasonal settings like Christmas to explore estrangement, generational differences, and the bittersweet joy of finding your way back to each other.

nostalgicheartwarmingfestivefrustratedhopefulmelancholic

Narrative Summary

The story structure leverages a holiday gathering as the central event. Adult children return to their family home, often reluctantly. The festive atmosphere contrasts with underlying relational tension, which eventually erupts. Through shared experiences and forced proximity, characters are compelled to communicate, forgive, and redefine their relationships, finding a new sense of family by the holiday's end.

Why These Movies?

This thread unites films through their specific setting and thematic focus. The holiday backdrop provides a universal emotional hook and a structured timeline. The shared vibe is a mix of nostalgic warmth, familial frustration, and hopeful reconciliation, making the holiday itself a key character in the story.

Unlock the Full Story of The Price of Family

Don't stop at just watching — explore The Price of Family in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what The Price of Family is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

The Price of Family Summary

Read a complete plot summary of The Price of Family, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

The Price of Family Summary

The Price of Family Timeline

Track the full timeline of The Price of Family with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

The Price of Family Timeline

The Price of Family Spoiler-Free Summary

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The Price of Family Spoiler-Free Summary

More About The Price of Family

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