Dads on Film

Heather reflects on how films have shaped her understanding of fatherhood, using five informal categories of movie dads: noble single fathers, absent dads, dead dads, and unprepared dads. Heather explores the tensions between fathers’ responsibilities to their children, their communities, and their own identities. These cinematic fathers, though exaggerated like modern fairy tales, tap into deep longings for love, safety, moral guidance, and emotional presence.