This visual estrangement is crucial. It tells the audience what the characters cannot say: You are here, but you do not yet belong. As we look toward the future, two trends are emerging.

Cinema is finally admitting that blended families don't "blend" like smoothies. They blend like oil and vinegar: violently, temporarily, and only cohesive when shaken violently. Directors have also developed a unique visual grammar for these dynamics. Look at the staging in The Royal Tenenbaums or The Kids Are All Right . When a biological family is happy, they occupy the same close-up frame—shoulder to shoulder, cheek to cheek.

Captain Fantastic ends not with the children fully accepting their grandparents, but with a negotiated peace. They remain separate but respectful. Instant Family ends with the teenage daughter admitting she still hates her stepmom some days, but that "hate is better than nothing."