Music Box Films Releases Michael Glover Smith’s ‘Relative’ on Digital
A critically acclaimed festival darling is now ready to view in your living room. This week, Music Box Films digitally released Michael Glover Smith’s fourth feature-length movie, the Chicago-made RELATIVE, for rent and purchase. The film is currently available to stream via Amazon Prime, Apple Plus, Google Play, Fandango at Home/Vudu and YouTube. This digital release follows a lengthy theatrical “roadshow” release via Newcity/Chicago Film Project that saw 87 theatrical engagements across North America between 2022 and 2024. RELATIVE never played more than one city at a time, which allowed writer/director Smith to be present for Q&A sessions following most of the screenings.
It is not surprising that the film has connected with audiences around the country: The family dramedy has a 100% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes with many critics praising the large and impressive ensemble cast, which is headlined by Wendy Robie (TWIN PEAKS), Steppenwolf veteran Francis Guinan, Cameron Scott Roberts (THE WALKING DEAD), Clare Cooney (DEPARTING SENIORS), Keith D. Gallagher (CHICAGO MED) and Emily Lape (MERCY’S GIRL). Matt Fagerholm, who included it on his list of the “Top 20 Films of 2022” at Indie Outlook, called it “impeccably cast, superbly directed and utterly captivating.”
In an exclusive chat with SCREEN, Smith said: “I’ve been lucky enough to see this movie with audiences not only in New York, L.A. and Chicago but everywhere from Portland, Oregon to Fort Collins, Colorado to Santa Fe, New Mexico to Tallahassee, Florida and other points in between. Talking to audiences after screenings has reaffirmed my belief that there’s a vast market out there hungry for more character-driven independent films. I think Music Box Films understands this and that’s why they were the ideal distributor to make RELATIVE available digitally. It’s a huge honor to be a part of their roster.”
Here are some choice photos from RELATIVE’s Chicago Premiere at the historic Music Box Theater, courtesy of photographer Emma Thatcher…
Enjoy the trailer for RELATIVE here then rent or buy the film on the Music Box Films website…
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