“Our Father”

There have been thousands of movies about grief, and it has been explored in so many films that are much better than “Our Father.” This super dull narrative about two sisters (Baize Buzan, Allison Torem) reconnected by the death of their estranged father is so slow and stagnant in its storytelling that it sinks the film shortly after it begins.

Beta (Buzan) and Zelda (Torem) are total opposites. They haven’t hung out in a while, but when Beta gets the news that their dad has killed himself, they meet up to pay their respects to their unpleasant trio of older half brothers and dad’s first wife. After discussing the will, it’s learned that there’s a mysterious uncle who disappeared 30 years ago who may hold the key to the family’s secrets. Determined to find a family member they can perhaps have a real relationship with, the two sisters go on a hunt for clues to track him down.

The lead performances are fine, but it’s so hard to see anything because the film is so dimly lit. It’s actually dark, and pitch black in parts. The overuse of shadowy lighting is distracting and feels amateurish (and the multiple out of place poop references even more so).

It sounds like a terrific premise for a movie, but writer / director Bradley Grant Smith goes nowhere with his story. The bookends of the film are good, but the middle stretch is filler. It’s a waste of a good setup that doesn’t really go anywhere for the majority of the film.

“Our Father” starts off strong, with sharp dialogue and an interesting hook, but then suffers a steep drop-off into a cavern of which it can never escape. There’s just not enough story here to sustain a feature length film.

By: Louisa Moore