Father’s Chair

Theo is a successful doctor in São Paulo; he lives in a good house, works constantly, and gives almost no time to his family. The man he treated as a mentor and a father is dying. His wife tells him she wants a divorce. Then he comes home to learn that his fifteen-year-old son has run away. Theo gets in the car and goes looking for him. The journey runs into the interior of Brazil, into places he does not know, and he realises he knows nothing about his son. Luciano Moura's film is built as a search but its real subject is fatherhood. The narrative does not vindicate Theo; the reason his son ran is as plain as the search itself. Wagner Moura plays Theo and the film rests almost entirely on him. Lima Duarte appears as the mentor. Who it's for: Viewers who like Brazilian drama, road films, and father-and-son narratives. Who it's not for: The pace is slow and the plot is thin. The resolution at the end may also feel insufficient to some.