It could have been called “Around the World in 80 Dads.” This
documentary explores the complex and often troubling bond between
fathers and sons as first-time filmmaker Chris Roe packs his camera and
his father for a trip around the globe. Along the way the pair chat
with dad/kid combos from cultures and locales as diverse as Israel
Vietnam and Australia.
No showy performances here. An amazing cross-section of families
including a Holocaust survivor and a father who describes his son as
“minimally brain damaged ” opens up to the Roes. Oddly enough the
camera helps to break down the wall of manly machismo as participants
seem eager to express what they’ve been feeling but not revealing. The
pair even ran into Julian Lennon in Monaco for a candid account of life
as a Beatles son.
As star/director/co-producer/co-editor and subject handsome Chris Roe
creates an exquisite snapshot of fatherhood that will appeal to travel
enthusiasts voyeurs and anyone dealing with their own familial
relationships. Roe gives his film a snappy pace intercutting the
heartwarming with the hair-raising including a wicked bungee jump and
some rough arguments. It’s refreshing to see real life can still be
intelligent as well as entertaining.
