Come to Daddy is not only deliciously dark; it’s delightfully different. Come to Daddy is now available to stream and buy.
You know you are in for a bonkers ride when a film opens with quotes about fatherhood from Shakespeare and Beyoncé, two figures you would hardly place in the same room regarding their views on life. However, this mix of classic and contemporary sums up New Zealand director Ant Timpson’s debut feature, Come to Daddy, in what can only be described as the family reunion from hell. Come to Daddy is not only deliciously dark; it’s delightfully different.
Norval (Elijah Wood) is a troubled thirty-something recovering from an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, his pretentious lifestyle hiding a lifetime of insecurity and fear. Norvel’s life is haunted by a father who disappeared when he was just a young child. But when a mysterious letter from his long-lost dad invites him to meet after thirty years apart at a secluded beachside house, an opportunity for healing appears.
Fresh off a public bus, Norval finds himself trekking across beaches and woodland to find his father’s home – a dilapidated UFO-shaped building hanging from the cliff’s edge. However, on reaching the front door, there’s no warm welcome as his gruff alcoholic father (Stephen McHattie) invites him in with various expletives. It’s no wonder that Norval’s last drops of respect vanish in an instant. But maybe all is not as it first appears.
Ant Timpson smartly pulls the rug from under your feet several times, leaving you wondering what could come next as the tension and macabre humour mount. Here, Come to Daddy bounces joyfully from laugh-out-loud comedy to slasher and comic book horror, with each twist more delicious and ridiculous than the last. The result is a brave, bonkers rollercoaster of dark humour and gore, full of devilish charm.
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