Father's Chair is a simple little film about an estranged father Theo setting out to find his teenage son, who disappears shortly after a big fight between his mom and dad. Set in Brazil and featuring a dominant performance from Wagner Moura, Father's Chair is a quieter, more delicate personal film from the country that's also brought us City of God and Elite Squad.
All signs pointed to me loving the film, but I can't quite put my finger on what's been bothering me about it. Maybe the film feels too blatantly episodic, with Theo traipsing around from one bizarre interaction to another. Maybe the obvious Aronofsky/Clint Mansell music seemed out of place. Maybe Wagner's performance could have used more subtlety and less screaming. Whatever it was, Father's Chair, while not a bad film by any standard, isn't quite as powerful as it thinks it is.
Father's Chair is competing in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition.
