When Did You Last See Your Father?

"When Did You Last See Your Father?"

Anand Tucker, 2007

This film is an adaptation of the author Blake Morrison's account of his relationship with his father. Blake, played by Colin Firth, exudes a feeling of despair whenever he enters the screen; his father, Arthur, has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, which compels him to reflect on their relationship over the years. From there, the film splits into three interlocking narratives: one, in 1989, covers Blake and his mother, Kim (Juliet Stevensen), taking care of Arthur on his death bed, the second briefly covers Blake's experiences as a young child, and the third covers a 17-year-old Blake's relationship with Arthur.

It is this third narrative, surprisingly, that turns out to be the most fascinating. Blake, who is played by the young actor Matthew Beard, is both a typical and atypical teen, a scrawny, horny guy who is easily embarrassed by his dad, and whose passion is literature. But the film's star is Arthur, a charismatic and good-spirited man, who is played by the outstanding British actor Jim Broadbent. These two men are fascinating characters in their own right, but when they are together, their interactions become as volatile as dynamite. Blake truly respects his dad, and Arthur, who simply loves to have fun, is proud of his son - this is especially evident in a touching sequence where the father teaches his son how to drive on an empty beach.

And yet, there is a palpable tension between the two - Arthur often cruelly teases Blake, calling him "fathead" or playing tricks on him. And Blake begins to suspect that his father is having an affair with a family friend, which makes his views of his father all the more conflicted. This is the moment when Blake begins to realize that his role models aren't perfect; his struggle to deal with this change defines the rocky relationship between the two until it is too late, and Arthur is dead. For their parts, the two actors have perfect chemistry: Beard nails his awkward, distrustful teen perfectly while Broadbent makes portraying a jovial man, with his own flaws, over several decades seem effortless.

I'm not usually a fan of such melodramatic tales, yet Tucker's film manages to avoid the pitfalls of this genre - for the most part, at least. There is an unremarkable score, complete with swelling strings, that butts in at all the wrong moments, and the ending lingers on the sadness following Arthur's death longer than need be. However, the film's depiction of these two fascinating characters gives it an unusual power that nearly overcomes such shortcomings.

Rating: 8.5

First Viewed: 7/5/08, in 35 mm projection
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