FATHER’S CHAIR

Another fine feature from this year’s Sydney Latin American Film Festival lineup is Father’s Chair, (Brazil), a poignant tale about the emotionally challenging relationships between fathers and their sons.

The film opens at an important turning point in the life of a disaffected middle class family, whose fragile bonds are deeply shaken when the 15-year-old son runs away.

Embarking on the search for his son, the father (wonderfully portrayed by Brazilian star Wagner Moura) ends up on a ‘soul journey’, forcing him outside of the sanitary boundaries of his architecturally-designed home into unruly terrain.

As his quest takes him deeper into the unpredictable landscape, he learns he must relinquish control if he is to find and truly understand his son.

Set against the majestic highlands outside of São Paulo, Father’s Chair is a small tale told in few words, with its own quiet drama.

An allegorical road trip about men learning to cross the generational divide. (RF)

***

Sep 10, Dendy Opera Quays, Circular Quay, $18.50, sydneylatinofilmfestival.org