Come to Daddy

Director: Ant Simpson
Starring: Elijah Wood, Stephen Mc Hattie, Garfield Wilson, Madeline Sami, Martin Donovan, Michael Smiley, Simon Chin, Ona Grauer
Distributor: Umbrella Films
Runtime: 95 mins. Reviewed in Apr 2020

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Rating notes: Strong themes, violence and coarse language

What starts out as a reunion between father and long lost son, turns into a melodrama with some touches of violent horror.

While the story has an American setting, was filmed near Vancouver, has Irish finance, it was written and directed by a New Zealander, Ant Simpson, who specialised in some horror films.

This reviewer had started to review Come to Daddy but was interrupted by the coronavirus. On resuming the review sometime later, it seemed best to start again. Realising that there had been quite a twist in the middle of the film, watching the first part again was a surprise. Not so much a surprise in what was presented but the discovery of the clever ambiguity in the set up, the son visiting his father, the father’s long absence from the family, his way of dealing with his son, finding out about his life, his relationship with his mother, a test about the son’s claiming that he was a friend of Elton John, an eeriness about the relationship. It was surprising to listen to the dialogue in the light of the twist – very clever..

The success of the film rests on the shoulders of Elijah Wood as the son, alienated from his father, to receive a letter from him and making a long journey to meet him. It is quite easy to identify with Elijah Wood in most films, seeing from his point of view, feeling from his point of view. And, Stephen McHattie is intense as the father, enigmatic in his relating to his son, quite grotesque at times.

The film shifts tone with the twist, quite unexpected. There are some interesting cameos by Garfield Wilson as a seriously odd police officer who judges characters by the colour of their eyes. There is a sympathetic funeral director.

But there are also some criminals who threaten, Martin Donovan as an ambiguous presence, Michael Smiley as something of a deranged and violent Irishman. It is up to a Elijah Wood, timid in himself, fearful of the violence, to come out of himself, take tough stands, try to redeem the situation.

And, at the end, a quiet moment which gives new meaning to Come to Daddy.

Peter Malone MSC is an Associate of the Australian Catholic Office for Film and Broadcasting.