Memories haunt son who sees himself in his dying father
By Phil Villarreal
Pvillarreal@azstarnet.com
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 07.03.2008
This time there's no "inspired by a true story" or "based on true events." The simple "A true story" kicks off the elegiac "When Did You Last See Your Father?" in which a grown son copes with complicated memories as his father moves toward death.
And oh, does this story feel true.
Colin Firth, taking a brief breather from his bimonthly appearances in romantic comedies, melts into the role of Blake, a poet who leaves his wife and kids to look after his dying dad, Arthur (Jim Broadbent).
Most of the story is told in flashback, as Arthur's whispers and ramblings cause Blake's mind to drift back to the blocks of childhood and adolescence that built the man he became.
Working with a nostalgia-dripping David Nicholls screenplay based on the book by Blake Morrison, director Anand Tucker ("Shopgirl") crafts a memoryscape that's a painful joy to experience.
Arthur, a conniving cad who doled out criticism far more often than compliments, is the focus of most of the memories. He could do no wrong even if all he did was wrong — his respect and approval meant everything to Blake.
We feel Blake's love for Arthur from the brilliant opening sequence, in which Arthur sneaks his family into a race-car event, veering around a traffic jam and taking a V.I.P. entrance by masquerading as a doctor. Blake's narration says it all: "He was lost if he couldn't cheat in some small way. . . . He was immortal."
The narrative leaps from one bittersweet memory to another like a frog on lily pads.
The funniest is a hare-brained camping trip in which Arthur drags Blake along, hoping to test out the "waterproof" camping gear the old man has invented. "Well, water-resistant," Arthur admits after he and his son wake up in a flooded tent.
You see Arthur bashing his boy's dreams and belittling him in ways both unconscious and intentional, at one point making a fool of the poor kid when he's got a teen-age crush on a girl sitting across the table. Another time, Arthur walks in on Blake in his bedroom while he's "reading."
"Ought to be careful, you could go blind," Arthur says with a devilish smile. "Reading in the dark, I mean."
Blake catches his father in far more damaging indiscretions, building a grudge that will last a lifetime.
As Blake languishes over the gripes he had with his dad, he unthinkingly repeats them in his own life. Snippets reveal that he's a bit selfish and not so great at nurturing or encouraging his own kids. And, like his father, he's cursed with a wandering eye.
While watching this film, I couldn't help but imagine how I may react when my dad hits old age, and wonder what ways I'll unknowingly damage my own son.
Above all, the movie is not about fear or regret but about valuing the bond between a parent and child.
It is all about cherishing every time you see your father.
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