Papa (2005)
Directed by Maurice Barthélémy

Film Review

This second feature from director Maurice Barthélémy is a typically French take on the “Road Movie” concept, whose defining characteristics are minimalism and near-the-knuckle realism.  The film's slow pace and sparse narrative is off-putting at first, but its strange allure (and some quiet moments of genuine poignancy) soon draws the spectator in, and ultimately it impresses as a deeply moving, skilfully understated piece of drama.

Alain Chabat is far better known for playing comic roles than straight dramatic roles but in this film he demonstrates a surprising talent for the latter, although his contribution is very nearly eclipsed by the delightful Martin Combes, who plays the traumatised boy Louis with an understanding and sensitivity way beyond his years.   Papa is a thoughtful and stirring meditation on fatherhood and the unbreakable bond between a father and his son.

Film Synopsis

Louis would seem to have the best father a boy of his age could ask for - thoughtful, caring, always laughing.  And yet, somehow, there seems to be an unbridgeable gulf between the two of them.  There is so much that Louis wants to know about, and he is not always satisfied with the answers his father gives him.  As they go on a long car journey across the highways and byways of rural France, the father and his son get to know each other a little better.  Both have their secrets and their sorrows.  Both have a need to escape and find meaning in life.  Will their adventure on the open road allow them to find what they seek, or will it merely widen the gulf that exists between them...?