Paternal Leave
A teenage girl’s search for her absent father becomes a fragile winter encounter with abandonment, responsibility, and the possibility of renewed connection.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- melancholic
- intimate
- wistful
- quiet evening
- reflective weekend
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Leo travels to find Paolo, and their relationship unfolds over a limited encounter marked by old wounds and tentative connection.
The father and daughter struggle through silence, anger, and unfamiliar languages while trying to understand one another.
The reunion takes place on the northern Italian coast during a harsh winter, surrounding the characters with sea, cold, and physical distance.
The film emphasizes silence, tentative encounters, and the fragile beauty of brief moments of genuine contact.
Films like Paternal Leave, and why
Aftersun
shared intimate father daughter reconciliation, emotional restraint, and intergenerational estrangement
The Quiet Girl
shared cross-border family tension, quiet realism, and painful parent child connection
The Return
shared melancholic coming of age perspective, absent parent theme, and tender emotional atmosphere
Movie Details
- Director
- Alissa Jung
- Release Date
- 2025-05-15
- Runtime
- 113 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (56)
Cast
- Juli Grabenhenrich
- Luca Marinelli
- Arturo Gabbriellini
- Joy Falletti Cardillo
- Gaia Rinaldi
- Stefano Pelloni
Common questions
- What is Paternal Leave about?
- A teenage girl’s search for her absent father becomes a fragile winter encounter with abandonment, responsibility, and the possibility of renewed connection.
- What is Paternal Leave like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Paternal Leave as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Paternal Leave violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Paternal Leave.
- Which films are like Paternal Leave?
- Films with a similar feel include Aftersun, The Quiet Girl, and The Return.
- How long is Paternal Leave?
- Paternal Leave runs 113 minutes.
