Father
A Hungarian coming-of-age drama follows an orphaned boy and the adult he becomes as imagined heroism gives way to a more complicated understanding of his dead father.
Overview
A poignant exploration of memory and identity in a post-war landscape.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- reflective
- wistful
- quiet evening
- arthouse film night
What critics said
Critics and festival institutions broadly regard the film as a major, formally distinctive Hungarian drama about memory, loss, and postwar identity.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Takó creates heroic fabrications about his father because his memories are faint and incomplete.
Takó's understanding of his father develops against post-World War II Hungary and Nazi-occupied Budapest.
The film repeatedly examines Takó's difficulty distinguishing reality from fantasy while reconstructing his father's life.
The search for the deceased father unfolds through quiet emotional inquiry and gradual disenchantment.
Films like Father, and why
The Mirror
shared postwar memory, father son grief, and reflective coming-of-age drama
The 400 Blows
shared autobiographical sensibility, childhood memory, and poetic treatment of family absence
The Lives of Others
shared historical trauma, fragmented recollection, and emotionally searching european art-cinema style
Movie Details
- Director
- István Szabó
- Release Date
- 1966-12-08
- Runtime
- 88 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (24)
Cast
- András Bálint
- Miklós Gábor
- Dániel Erdély
- Kati Sólyom
- Klári Tolnay
- Rita Békés
- András Kozák
- György Kézdy
- József Madaras
- Mária Egry
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Father about?
- A Hungarian coming-of-age drama follows an orphaned boy and the adult he becomes as imagined heroism gives way to a more complicated understanding of his dead father.
- What is Father like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Father as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Father violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Father as mild.
- What did critics think of Father?
- Critics and festival institutions broadly regard the film as a major, formally distinctive Hungarian drama about memory, loss, and postwar identity.
- Which films are like Father?
- Films with a similar feel include The Mirror, The 400 Blows, and The Lives of Others.
- How long is Father?
- Father runs 88 minutes.
- Where can I watch Father?
- In United States, Father is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video.
