Come to Daddy (2019)

A man in his thirties travels to a remote cabin to reconnect with his estranged father.

Director:

Ant Timpson

Writers:

Toby Harvard (story), Toby Harvard

Stars:

Elijah Wood, Stephen McHattie, Garfield Wilson

3 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Elijah Wood	...	Norval Greenwood
Stephen McHattie	...	Gordon
Garfield Wilson	...	Ronald Plum
Madeleine Sami	...	Gladys
Martin Donovan	...	Brian
Michael Smiley	...	Jethro
Simon Chin	...	Dandy
Ona Grauer	...	Precious
Ryan Beil	...	Danny
Raresh DiMofte	...	Swinger
Alla Rouba	...	Swinger
Noam Zylberman	...	Swinger
Gord Middleton	...	Swinger
Oliver Wilson	...	Young Norval

Storyline

Norval's life has been, to put it lightly, difficult. Currently living home with his mother, the troubled young man is coming off alcohol-related struggles. So when he receives an unexpected letter from his estranged father requesting a visit, Norval catches a bus up to his dad's secluded and scenic waterfront home. Maybe reconnecting with his father will give Norval the emotional fulfillment he's been lacking. Before long, though, he notices something off about his dad, an uneasy feeling triggered by inappropriate comments and a possible over-dependence on booze. Norval quickly realizes that his hope of father/son bonding is doomed. Instead of a family reunion, he finds himself in waking nightmare.

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Plot Keywords:

criminal | tiger | lion | jaguar | thailand | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, language throughout, sexual content and graphic nudity

Details

Country:

Ireland Canada New Zealand USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 February 2020 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Come to Daddy

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Firefly Films, Blinder Films, Nowhere

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Both Ant Timpson and Elijah Wood injured themselves during filming that for awhile, Ant has to continue directing while sitting on a chair with a microphone given by the sound department along with speakers put on the camera.

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Quotes

Gordon: Just so you know, if you want to impress me, I like fight stories. Ever been in a fight?
Norval Greenwood: No.
Gordon: I have. I once accidentally kicked a guy's ear off. I didn't mean to, but the fucker flew off. I could see right into his skull. Good night.

User Reviews

Incredibly Strange

(The Wellington premiere with Ant Timpson and Emma Slade giving Q&A)

O.M.G. That was, as expected, an Incredibly Strange movie. (Ant Timpson is best known in New Zealand for the Incredibly Strange film festival, which began in 1994 with the likes of Plan Nine from Outer Space.)

Elijah Wood's character, Norval, is aptly named. He is an innocent nerd, called to visit his estranged-since-childhood father at a remote and beauiful house on the shore of Vancouver Island. The father (Stephen McHattie) is creepy from the get-go (think Jack Nicholson in The Shining). I'll say no more but nothing is as it seems and the movie is a roller coaster ride of extreme tension and release, extreme violence, and a generous slab of (black, of course) comedy. Just suspend your belief enough to erase the words "We've got to get you to hospital" from your memory.

I didn't stay for all the Q&A because they talked at length about technical details, but Timson based the movie on his own experience with the death of his father, which was Pretty Strange.

It'll never be a blockbuster, but it'll be a cult favourite for years to come.