The story begins showing the little girl excitedly anticipating her daddy's arrival home from work every day at 5:30. She likes to prepare him a snack or draw him a picture. She is there by the door waiting his return and runs into his arms for a tight embrace until one day he doesn't appear.
I really like how the film shows the strong relationship between the father and his daughter. The camera work is outstanding. The close-ups of the girl's face and the expressions on her face tell the story without the need for words. When she is in focus and everything else is out of focus, her reaction to what was happening is so clear. The set is quite simple, yet effective. The background music is pretty subtle throughout and changes at end to show how everything changes in a split second. What is confusing to me is what happened to the father. Obviously he dies and everyone's lives change. But we don't know what happened or why. The end words "COME HOME SAFE! YOUR FAMILY IS WAITING!" sort of made me think there is blame on the dad for not staying safe. Having lost a family member to a murder, when he was "in the wrong place at the wrong time" it makes me wonder what happened and why. I am not keen on those ending words.
The characters all give excellent performances. The little girl's behavior goes from all out exuberance to complete sadness, which we see in her facial expressions and body movement. The changes in her demeanor make the most significant impact from the film. The editing also stands because they effectively show the change of emotion as the film develops. A lot is said in just a few short minutes. My favorite scene is the powerful scene where the young girl stands in the hallway while her mom opens the door and talks to someone, then collapses in tears. It is incredibly sad but so moving seeing all those emotions and seeing the girl taking everything in.
The take away I get from this is: Life is too short. Cherish what you have because you never know when you will not have it anymore. Don't take things for granted. I give Daddy 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 18, plus adults. I think it is way too sad for kids under age 8 to watch, plus there is the question of "what happened." Reviewed by Melissa M. and Julie S., KIDS FIRST! Jurors
The story begins showing the little girl excitedly anticipating her daddy's arrival home from work every day at 5:30. She likes to prepare him a snack or draw him a picture. She is there by the door waiting his return and runs into his arms for a tight embrace until one day he doesn't appear.
I really like how the film shows the strong relationship between the father and his daughter. The camera work is outstanding. The close-ups of the girl's face and the expressions on her face tell the story without the need for words. When she is in focus and everything else is out of focus, her reaction to what was happening is so clear. The set is quite simple, yet effective. The background music is pretty subtle throughout and changes at end to show how everything changes in a split second. What is confusing to me is what happened to the father. Obviously he dies and everyone's lives change. But we don't know what happened or why. The end words "COME HOME SAFE! YOUR FAMILY IS WAITING!" sort of made me think there is blame on the dad for not staying safe. Having lost a family member to a murder, when he was "in the wrong place at the wrong time" it makes me wonder what happened and why. I am not keen on those ending words.
The characters all give excellent performances. The little girl's behavior goes from all out exuberance to complete sadness, which we see in her facial expressions and body movement. The changes in her demeanor make the most significant impact from the film. The editing also stands because they effectively show the change of emotion as the film develops. A lot is said in just a few short minutes. My favorite scene is the powerful scene where the young girl stands in the hallway while her mom opens the door and talks to someone, then collapses in tears. It is incredibly sad but so moving seeing all those emotions and seeing the girl taking everything in.
The take away I get from this is: Life is too short. Cherish what you have because you never know when you will not have it anymore. Don't take things for granted. I give Daddy 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 18, plus adults. I think it is way too sad for kids under age 8 to watch, plus there is the question of "what happened." Reviewed by Melissa M. and Julie S., KIDS FIRST! Jurors
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