Fathers (dir. Harley Wallen)

By: Adam Freed

There is nothing better than a tightly wound thriller, overflowing with danger and intrigue.  The promise of the unknown, coupled with what is often an unforeseen reveal, has kept the genre in perpetual motion for nearly one hundred years.  The downside of the genre’s popularity is that in order to find the authentic gems, one needs to wade through a sea of fruitless facsimile.  In the case of Fathers, writer and Director Harley Wallen’s non-linear psychological thriller, the truth is somewhere in between.  The independent film offers a genuinely compelling premise about a young Michigan girl abducted and raised under false pretenses, yet there exists an inescapable limitation to the film’s visual and emotional presentation.  The sum of these limitations makes it difficult for audiences to cling to the film’s strengths, and instead forces viewers to wade in the monotony of its shortcomings. 

Wallen (Finding Nicole, Final Recovery), no stranger to crafting budget-conscious thrillers, frames his latest around the relationship between a troubled man and the girl he kidnaps and raises as his own into adulthood.  The young lady in question, Natalie, is very likely the victim of what has become commonly known as Stockholm Syndrome, an affliction in which a victim forms an emotional bond with their captor.  In this case, Natalie is made to believe that Bobby Nash (played by Harley Wallen) is her father and was forced to extreme measures of isolation in order to protect Natalie from outside harm.  One of the unquestioned strengths of Fathers is the performance of Kaiti Wallen (CMF the Carter Mafia Family), who, as the adult iteration of Natalie, infuses her character with a convincing concoction of confusion, rage and fear.  While there are plenty of eyeroll worthy moments found in the execution of Fathers, Kaiti Wallen’s depiction of Natalie is far from being one of them.  

The hill that Fathers, like many independent films, struggles to climb is in its establishment of genuine believability. This flaw is partially a product of its limited production budget, but also due to the uninspired execution of a legitimately interesting premise.  Harley Wallen’s latest does nothing to separate itself from a sea of thrillers that grows only deeper by the day.  From an overabundance of static characters offering mildly believable line readings, to a limited visual production design, Fathers is likely to struggle in its attempt to collect broad critical acclaim.  While its exploration of the impact of Stockholm Syndrome in addition to a strong performance from Kaiti Wallen are certainly highlights, they aren’t enough to rescue Fathers from ultimately presenting as another ho hum attempt to scratch an itch within the promising world of the screen thriller.  

Target Score 4.5/10 - There is plenty to like within the concept of Harley Wallen’s Fathers.  The story of a young girl kidnapped and raised under false pretenses certainly offers promise.  The issue that the veteran director faces is that independent thriller suffers in its attempt to cultivate an adequate level of believability.