Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- wistful
- intimate
- gentle
- reflective evening
- international cinema night
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Alexey travels across distance to see his daughter and confront the separation from her family life.
The Russian protagonist's journey to the United States places his parental longing within a newly post-Soviet, transnational context.
The film is identified as a comedy drama while centering loneliness, parental separation, and the difficult attempt to reconnect.
Alexey's central obstacle is trying to reach his daughter, who lives far away in the United States with her mother.
Films like American Daughter, and why
Paris, Texas
shared road movie structure, bittersweet family separation, and cross-cultural emotional drama
Kolya
shared father-child journey, tender melancholy, and understated comedy-drama
The Return
shared estranged parent-child bond, travel narrative, and warm tragicomic tone
Movie Details
- Director
- Karen Shakhnazarov
- Release Date
- 1995-07-30
- Runtime
- 98 min
- Rating
- 5.7 / 10 (23)
Cast
- Vladimir Mashkov
- Mariya Shukshina
- Allison Whitbeck
- Armen Dzhigarkhanyan
- Steven Epp
- Malcolm Brownson
- Jennifer Davis
- Dale Morris
- Teddy Lane Jr.
- Karl-Heinz Teuber
Common questions
- What is American Daughter about?
- A lonely Russian father crosses borders and emotional barriers in pursuit of a fragile reunion with his daughter.
- What is American Daughter like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of American Daughter as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is American Daughter violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in American Daughter.
- Which films are like American Daughter?
- Films with a similar feel include Paris, Texas, Kolya, and The Return.
- How long is American Daughter?
- American Daughter runs 98 minutes.
