Father’s Day is on the horizon and, for some, that may mean a dark cloud looming in the distance. These parent-centric holidays are always hard to navigate if you have a difficult or non-existent relationship with your parents. Social media feeds are inundated with moving tributes to fathers placed on pedestals or who feel like a best friend, and it can be isolating to watch so many people celebrate something you couldn’t fathom having.
Over the years, I’ve amassed many films that have made me internally scream, “Ouch, my daddy issues!” Although emotional, there is something cathartic and comforting about a movie portraying your experience. So, if Father’s Day is a tricky day for you as well, here are ten of my favorite movies depicting complicated relationships with fathers.
Big Fish (2003)
Perhaps Tim Burton’s most underrated work, Big Fish is quintessential Daddy Issues Cinema. As he prepares for the arrival of his own son, Will Bloom (Billy Crudup) attempts to get to know his unknowable father, Edward (Albert Finney), as his health takes a turn for the worse. Will sifts through the tall tales that Edward passed off as autobiographical to try to piece together the mystery that is his father.
Burton brings the tall tales to life with the aid of Ewan McGregor as a young Edward, and the film oscillates between mythical fantasy and intimate family drama. Big Fish sweeps you away in beautiful entertainment, but the relationship between estranged father and son tether you to the film’s core. It’s a painful yet beautiful story about the ache to be seen and the time lost trying to get there.
Aftersun (2022)
Sophie (Celia Rowlson-Hall) reflects on a vacation she took with her father, Callum (Paul Mescal), as a pre-teen (Frankie Corio). Charlotte Wells’ intimate debut is an encapsulation of that time when you begin to see your parent as a person. It’s also a reckoning between the memory of someone and the reality of that person, and how the two intersect.
There’s a constant dichotomy between how Sophie sees her father and the complicated man he is. The joy and melancholy of those two realities often collide in difficult ways, shattering the image. Mescal and Corio’s lived-in connection sells every second of this intimate piece that will leave you in tatters by the time the credits roll.
Sentimental Value (2025)
Joachim Trier’s Oscar-winning film tackles parental estrangement through the lens of siblings. When renowned director Gustav Borg (Stellan Skarsgård) reunites with his daughters Nora (Renate Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas), he offers Nora the lead in what he hopes will be his comeback film, which opens up a lot of unaddressed pain and trauma from the past. Trier utilizes Agnes and Nora to present the fact that siblings always experience their parents differently, which ultimately follows them differently into adulthood.
For me, Sentimental Value feels like a love letter to the people who make a difficult parental relationship survivable. Nora shielded Agnes from much of the chaos and took on the brunt of the pain. Agnes serves as a soft place to land for Nora when it all gets to be a bit much. Meanwhile, as Gustav attempts to make up for lost time, he must reckon with the damage he left behind. Trier leaves us hopeful that there may be a path forward for this family; they just need to determine what they want to hold onto and what they want to release.
All of Us Strangers (2023)
What we wouldn’t give for one last conversation with our parents, for that one apology we’ve been yearning for. Andrew Haigh’s All of Us Strangers indulges that wish as Adam (Andrew Scott) stumbles upon his deceased parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell) in his childhood home. The family reconnects with Adam, who is now at the same age they were when they died.
The film includes a couple of scenes where he discusses his gay identity with his parents. None is quite as devastating and healing as a scene between Adam and his father, who apologizes for “not coming into [Adam’s] room when he heard him crying” despite knowing the pain he was carrying. It’s a beautiful scene that deconstructs masculinity and paves the way for apology and reconciliation. Haigh, Scott, and Bell construct this moment with the utmost care and personify a fantasy many dream of but never get.
Frailty (2001)
Bill Paxton’s directorial debut is a harrowing horror parable about a father (Paxton) who believes he’s been tasked by an angel of God to kill demons disguised as humans on Earth. He soon makes his sons, Fenton (Matt O’Leary) and Adam (Jeremy Sumpter), help, making them witnesses to his grisly murders. Adam, ever obedient and devoted, follows his father without fail while Fenton constantly resists.
Frailty is an interesting take on parenthood and the way childhood trauma permeates one’s adulthood. As the two brothers diverge on how they perceive their father, there’s also an interesting examination of the perpetuation of harm versus the desire to stop abusive cycles. How can we break a cycle of trauma when there are others who do not believe what they are experiencing is harmful? Frailty trickles into twisty-turny, melodramatic territory, but, at its core, it’s a devastating tale of the demise of a father’s relationship with his son.
Fences (2016)
At the center of Denzel Washington’s adaptation of the August Wilson classic is a fraught relationship between Troy (Washington) and his son Cory (Jovan Adepo). Cory’s repeated attempts to chart his own course in life are rebuffed by Troy, who does not see his son’s aspirations and dreams as viable for the long term. Troy’s repeated assertion of his authority only drives Cory further away.
Troy has provided for his family; he thinks his children have had a far better upbringing than he ever did. But Cory does not feel loved by his father. Masculinity is at the center of Fences, where a man is meant to provide but not to be emotional, which conflicts with the way Cory moves through the world.
What A Girl Wants (2003)
Free-spirited Daphne (Amanda Bynes) travels to Europe to find the father she’s never known. However, on her search, she discovers that her father, Henry (Colin Firth), is a rigid politician aiming for the position of Prime Minister. She spends most of the film trying to fit into the standard of her father’s social circle at the expense of her own spirit and energy.
Ultimately, the film has a much happier resolution than a lot of the other films on this list, but it still shares the same DNA. We watch a parent try to know and understand their estranged child and come to love her for exactly who she is. No parent should make their child change to fit the expectations of those around them, and especially nowadays, it’s powerful to see a parent come to embrace their child for exactly who they are.
A Goofy Movie (1995)
One might not expect one of Disney’s most emotional and heartfelt outputs to center around the character Goofy (Bill Farmer), but 1995’s A Goofy Movie does just that. In an attempt to reconnect with his son, Max (Jason Marsden), Goofy plans a cross-country fishing trip. The two, of course, clash as Max’s search for independence comes into conflict with Goofy’s hovering parenting style, but eventually, they come to see eye to eye.
Goofy and Max are not necessarily estranged, but they are definitely hitting a bump in the road. A Goofy Movie cleverly focuses on the specific moment in young adulthood when one craves independence and steps into their own personhood, but is still not old enough to be entirely on their own. The film presents a fork in the road where father and son begin to diverge. These two were once inseparable, and they can get there again; they just need to find an alternate route.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
How do we explore Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) further than we have before? Explore his daddy issues, of course!
The introduction of Indiana Jones’ father (Sean Connery) recontextualizes the hero for audiences while adding an impactful, heartfelt layer to an already established franchise. The duo embarks on an epic search for the legendary Holy Grail, but the real quest is repairing their fractured relationship. Throughout their adventure, the duo comes to see themselves in each other, and Henry Sr. comes to understand what his absence meant to his son. Steven Spielberg crafts a moving and thrilling portrait of forgiveness and healing between the father and son that few major blockbusters would even attempt.
We the Animals (2018)
Perhaps the most underrated film on this list, We the Animals is a tiny indie darling about three sons and their relationship to their father (Raúl Castillo) and his volatile relationship with their mother (Sheila Vand). The youngest, Jonah (Evan Rosado), retreats into a world of his own as his brothers Manny (Josiah Santiago) and Joel (Isaiah Kristian) follow in their father’s footsteps.
Jeremiah Zagar peels back the intricate dynamics between family members, holding a magnifying glass to the ways in which harmful masculinity can poison and undo those connections. As he tries to claim his own identity and understand his father, Jonah comes into conflict with the men in his life in a devastatingly intimate family drama.
List Courtesy of Adam Patla