FATHER'S CHAIR is a tender journey (part of Dallas International Film Festival)

Father’s Chair begins with a domestic scuffle and then gradually progresses into a delicate and engrossing road film. The premise is simple—Theo (Wagner Moura) is recently separated from his wife, Branca (Mariana Lima), and goes on a journey in search of his runaway son. The film is about every parent’s worst nightmare; their child vanishes without a word. The only details we get about the son, Pedro (Bras Antunes), is that he’s an artist, curious about his relationship with his grandfather, and holds a bitter resentment towards his father’s erratic behavior.

     When Pedro disappears, Theo tries to track him down, aggressively following every tip and clue. He finds out that his 15-year old son adopted a black horse and eventually crossed a province of Brazil. Believe me, I was just as baffled as Theo, but the revelation is truly an eye-opener.

     There are scenes that tread on the urgency of the thriller genre, however, the most potent themes deal with the unrealized bond between parent and child. I love how the filmmakers only delve in small details of Pedro’s character. He’s rarely in the film, but the audience gets a sense of his character, seen through his father’s perspective. 

     The particulars of Pedro’s disappearance are like putting together a jigsaw puzzle in which the audience has no preconceived visual of the outcome. The narrative steadily grows into a spellbinding, character-driven road film about discovery—discovery of one’s son and one’s self. The shattered chair in the beginning scene symbolizes the broken relationship between Pedro and Theo, and it’s up to Theo to repair the damaged family tie. 

     Along with the film’s poignant and thought-provoking characters, the visual style is both striking and controlled. The filmmakers’ balances the shaky, energetic-octane of a missing-person thriller with the tender sensibility of a road film.

In accordance with the cinematography, I noticed how the heavy sunlight bleeds through the grayish-hue of the domestic, interior shots. These images convey a need for the characters to venture out into the exterior world, which is evident in the dichotomy between the mother isolating in the house, and the father exploring the unlimited exteriors, which go beyond his secure, comfort zone. My favorite image comes near the end—Theo is slowly traveling on a little motorcycle behind his son on a horse. The visual contrast, not only expresses a theme between the mechanical and the natural, but the similarities of the father and the son’s journey into self-discovery. 

Father’s Chair is the best film I’ve seen so far at the Dallas International Film Festival. The film defied every expectation I had from the first twenty minutes. A truly remarkable journey.

*** ½ (out of four stars)