Father of My Children

Aroview: A convincing dramatic study of grief in the family, centred on a workoholic movie producer who leaves behind a legacy of financial burden to his wife and three daughters.

Though loosely based on the tragic circumstances surrounding the death of French producer Humbert Balsan (who last produced Bela Tarr’s THE MAN FROM LONDON), this is less about the business of showbiz, than it is the sacrifice of family for art. Whether you regard the character’s role as selfless or selfish in his artistic pursuit is another matter entirely, and dir. Hansen-Love’s delicate balancing of this question, along with the beautifully measured performance of the cast (particularly, the youngsters), make the film especially absorbing in its otherwise standardised view of how broken families grieve and move on.

NZ International Film Festival 2010