Father and Daughter (2000) User Reviews

A gem like this doesn't come often enough.

[sumpit · 9/10 · 10 June 2006]

It is a short (8 minutes++) artistic piece of animation that will leave you crying. It may be in black and white (and shades of gray) and no words are spoken, but the story is so effectively conveyed, you'd be surprised of your own reaction once it ended. It also helps that the characters are beautifully drawn and the landscape is quaintly painted. I'm glad it won as Oscar. However, too bad it's gonna be hard to find. I really hope more people can get a chance to watch it. Watching it will make you appreciate your father even more, and for those who have lost a father, watching it might even be unbearable. Find it, watch it, treasure it......and remember to pass it to your children.

Beautiful and touching.

[hitchcockfan60 · 9/10 · 22 September 2006]

This is one of the most amazing shorts I've seen. The story of love between a girl and her father is so amazing. As the father leaves his daughter, she still comes back to the last place she saw him as she grows older. The story is touching, and the music is amazing. Not to mention the animation, which was so beautiful. I thought this film was certainly deserving of its Academy Award, despite "Rejected" being one of my favorites also. But this film is so touching, so beautiful, I could watch it again and again and not get tired of it. The ending was so touching- but I won't spoil it. Watch this film and you will never forget it.

Young Girl Longs for Departed Father

[TRunfalo · 9/10 · 17 February 2005]

The film is very touching although I am confused about the father's actions at the very beginning. Why would he do what he did? Also, I believe the ending would have been much more effective if she had morphed into the little girl he left behind, instead of morphing into a young woman.

All in all, the film is very touching and melancholy with beautiful music and extremely well placed and well done "bicycle bell" ringing and other sound effects.

Independent Film Channel has aired this beautiful little film several times and each time I see it I am more and more attracted to it.

Moved to tears in 8 minutes

[gratayl · 3 November 2002]

I was lucky enough to see this at an animation masterclass in Glasgow in 2001. Thankfully the lights were dimmed when they showed this so we could all cry in the dark.

A masterpiece that does not waste a single frame. Stylish and straight to the emotional nerve.

The feeling of longing in this short is almost suffocating. Longing is such a strong emotion that is not expressed often enough in cinema. If anyone in film can get half as close to true longing as "Father and Daughter" they will touch the audience for life.

People MUST see this. Someone out there - What about a compilation video of "10 Years of Animated Shorts Oscar Winners" Please?

One of the best films

[AdamHawkes · 10/10 · 2 May 2013]

The film is a story about a father and his daughter, mainly about the daughter. When she is a child, I don't know why, she is left by her father. And leaving her, he goes far by rowboat. Later, she always comes to the river where he left and looks for him, but she can't find him. Finally, she becomes an old woman, and then...

I like this film for two reasons. The first reason is its background music. It is like a waltz. I like a waltz, so I like the music too. In addition to this, the music of each part of this film matches the mood of and represents her emotions.

The second reason is its imagery. The image is mostly a shadow picture. It makes me a little sad, but it is very artistic.

I am not surprised that this film won the 2000 Academy Award for Animated Short Film. Its music and imagery are perfectly sophisticated. It's beautiful and artistic. And its story, the father and his daughter's love for each other, is very moving. I like this film so much that I watched it many times. I'd like you to watch this film with someone who you love.

An extraordinary piece of film that deserves to be in print and widely seen.

[llltdesq · 10/10 · 24 April 2003]

In my view, this piece is the equal to The Man Who Planted Trees (which is high praise indeed) and it should be in print and widely available. Sadly, all too many short animated pieces are not in print (or even seen, these days) and this reality will not be altered any time soon, I'm afraid. End of sermon.

Father and Daughter is simply breathtaking. The whole package-music, backgrounds, animation, story-everything is excellent, with nary a misstep. Basic themes repeat throughout and the attention to detail is extraordinary! Particularly watch toward the end, the shadows and the interaction of movement. That this won the Academy Award and deserved to is an understatement. There were three exceptional nominees, all of which is a testament to the committee overseeing the shorts nomination process. So far as I'm aware, only one (Rejected) is in print. I saw Father and Daughter on The Sundance Channel, as part of Shorts Program 103. Most highly recommended.

destined to be a classic

[LunarPoise · 10/10 · 11 September 2006]

Father and Daughter is a perfect piece of animation film-making. People 'worry' that it won't be seen, but we have postings here from Germany, Scotland, USA... Here in Japan, the film got a theatrical release, the shortest movie ever to achieve that in Japan. I have been screening it to film students for three years, and in this year's class one student had seen it already. This film takes one traumatic event in the life of a young woman and focuses on it to the exclusion of all others. It doesn't reduce her life to that single motif - the film acknowledges that a fuller life is lived off-screen, as her family accompanying her in several scenes implies. Some filmmakers will work their whole careers and never have their audience achieve the level of catharsis in Father and Daughter. Quite simply breathtaking in its economy and elegance.

Poetry in Motion

[ShortoftheWeek · 10/10 · 5 March 2008]

In 2000, Father and Daughter won the Academy Award for Best Short Film for its Dutch director Michael Dudok de Wit. For such a short (eight minutes) movie it has a remarkable capacity to move an audience. The story of a father who leaves his daughter and rows off into the ocean, it commences with two figures riding their bicycles, the smaller of the wheels in perfect symmetry with the larger. The father and daughter climb to the top of a hill at which point the father alights, hugs his daughter before climbing down to the seashore. He cannot resist running back and holding the girl one last time before rowing off towards the distant horizon. The girl runs up and down against the skyline as the sun gradually sets. There is no explanation. She returns again and again to her vantage point on the cliff to peer out to sea for his return. Each return marks a passage in her life from child to adolescent, mother and eventually old woman. And still she returns to search for the father who left her.

The landscape of the Netherlands with its wide skies and tall poplar trees is the backdrop to the movie. The sky and landscape is a delicate colour wash of brown, grey, sepia, sometimes hints of green or blue. The drawing is pencil and charcoal, the drawings scanned and colour added digitally. Remarkably in a film that deals in emotion, there is no facial detail whatsoever. Often the figures are drawn in silhouette. This can be remarkably effective in conveying mood: the old woman toiling up the hill, the flapping arms of the child, the teenager gliding down the slope on her bike, which in another later scene will simply not stand upright. Always the brushwork is spare, perhaps a stroke that transforms into a slender girl or a smudge for the squared old woman. Each shot is exquisite: the long shadows of trees or bicycle; seascape and sky, vast and empty. The seasons change with a rustle of leaves or the girl struggling up the hill against a wind that bends trees. The music by Norman Roger is sympathetic to the theme, essentially a lilting tune but arranged with tone and depth.

This astonishingly accomplished and poetic movie fulfils in every sense. Michael Dudok de Wit was born in 1953 and educated in Holland. In 1978, he graduated from the West Surrey College of Art in England. His films include Tom Sweep (1992), The Monk and the Fish (1994) and The Aroma of Tea (2006). You might also have seen the rather classy commercial for United Airlines, A Life. Given his draftsman-like qualities, Michael is much in demand as an illustrator for books. My Christmas present from my family, and well recommended, was Best of British Animation Awards Vol.4 that includes Michael's Oscar winning short.

Read this and other online film reviews at www.ShortoftheWeek.com

Wow do I feel a bit out of step!

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 13 February 2008]

Wow. After watching FATHER AND DAUGHTER and then reading all the wonderfully positive reviews, I sure feel out of step with most everyone. While I would agree that FATHER AND DAUGHTER is moving as it tries very hard to evoke an emotional reaction, to me it just didn't have the same emotional impact. Was it a good film? Sure. It had lovely music and while the animation was very simple, it did fit the mood well. But I just didn't feel as strongly about the film as everyone else seemed to. In fact, while FATHER AND DAUGHTER received the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film in 2001, I really preferred the super-dark yet graphically superior THE PERIWIG-MAKER. However, I will also be honest and admit that FATHER AND DAUGHTER has a much higher rating and many who reviewed THE PERIWIG MAKER felt it was just too dark and depressing. To each his or her own. Of course, I also think I preferred the other runner up, REJECTED, because at least it elicited an emotional reaction within me. With FATHER AND DAUGHTER, I just felt a bit let down thanks to all the hype.

An extraordinary Gem

[s.devries · 10/10 · 6 July 2001]

Father and Daughter is one of the most touching pieces of art I have ever seen. Although the movie only lasts eight minutes, the effect on its audience will probably last a lifetime. To describe 'Father and Daughter' as beautiful is just an understatement. Go see this gem and be amazed yourself.

Father and Daughter

[rumi-s0507 · 7/10 · 21 August 2013]

This is a touching story about the ties of parent and child. A father arrives under a tree with his young daughter by bicycle. But he suddenly leaves her by sea shore and never returns. Then his daughter comes there many times to meet him again. There are few colors in this film and we can't see emotions from character's faces. But I can really feel her grief because of sorrowful background music and beautiful landscapes. She grows, gets married and has a family. Although there is always a deep longing for her father within her mind, she found happiness in her life. In the scene of the beginning, she rode a bicycle in a terrible storm. But it seemed that the climate gets calmer and calmer as it shows her feeling. The last scene is very impressive, but I like the processes before arriving at it. I was able to feel affection of family after seeing this film.

Sublime

[julesvalery · 10/10 · 13 April 2001]

This short animated film just blew me away. Absolutely beautiful. Too bad no one will see it! The drawing, the story, the pace, the music, everything works. I'm glad it won the Oscar for best animated short film, it deserves it!

The Earnest Thought

[strawberry-jam-shake · 7/10 · 1 June 2013]

A father and his young daughter come along a river bank by bicycle. Then, the father separates with his daughter, rows a boat alone, and goes away from the bank.

This is an animation with no dialogue. The picture's touch is gentle and suits the tale which appears not only painful but also has beautiful feeling. The music complements the action which used accordion and piano. I was impressed by the scene where the girl is waiting for her father's return, even in the strong wind and heavy rain, the girl watches the direction of the wave. Involving the season, the young girl grew up and became an old woman however she continues being a daughter.

Finally, I think that this animation is not at all a negative work addicted to sadness. Like the father and his daughter in this story, people continue to think a person is a wonderful thing. It can be also felt in the touch with warmth and tenderness of human beings.

Incredibly moving

[Garth-8 · 3 June 2004]

This short film apparently took 8 years to make and it shows.

I saw it as part of an arts degree programme at NEWI, Wrexham where it was used to demonstrate to the Level 1 audience what empathy (the subject of the next essay) could be.

The artwork shows what can be achieved with the utmost economy of line, no massive Disney or Pixar art work here. It is truly incredible the depth of emotion that such an apparently very simple, short film can bring out. It certainly made the 'empathy' point, I defy anybody with any kind of normal human feelings not to be moved by this film.

I heartily recommend this film if you can get to see it.

This short film, all in black and white and without speech still touched my heart

[cathyluo917 · 10/10 · 12 October 2014]

This film, I got it as soon as I watched it. The hug before the father left particularly touched me because it shows that the father loves the daughter deeply. The daughter was shown to be sad to see her father go because she watched the boat until it disappeared from view. The first time I watched it, it got me to tears at the end but the second time, I felt like crying all my heart out when it came to the hug. The girl grows up, has her own family but yet, she is longing for her father to come back. Eventually, the lake dries up, she is old and yet she still hasn't given up. She went to find her father and when she found the boat, even though she didn't find her father, when it was shown how she was running towards her father and getting younger as she ran to him, that didn't really happen but in her heart, it was as if it did and she would never leave her father again, as was implied when she lay down into the boat. Altogether, it expressed well how love is strong and people would do anything for someone they loved. I feel like crying whenever I watch it! No wonder it won so many prizes. The music fitted in well, growing more and more distant as time passed. The wind and bell ringing really suited in as sound effects. Altogether, I really think this film was well expressed in just a few minutes.

Family love

[sawii29 · 10/10 · 8 May 2013]

one day, a daughter follows her father to see him off going to work by crossing a lake. She watches him until he fades out from her sight. She waits for him whether it's sunny, windy or rainy. No matter how terrible the weather is. She waits, but he does not come back. Time passes. She gets married, has kids and ages...

I was almost crying. Waiting for somebody for a long time makes you sad and anxious. She leads a life, but at the same time she always keeps her father. It is because she cannot forget the figure of him which she saw last I think. The lake changes and dries up, implying that a very long time has passed.

This film has no dialogue and no expression on her face. However, I got to know how she feels by the sound, shadow or even her back.

She is eager to meet her father again, but she probably knows she cannot. If only she could meet her father once again! This story gives me a strong impression of bond among families.

Painful but beautiful

[minamiakiiku · 9/10 · 6 October 2021]

"Father and Daughter" is an animated short film directed by Michaël Dudok de Wit, released in 2000. That world is drawn by black, white and sepia colors, which develops nostalgic and sad feelings in our hearts. One day, a man says goodbye to his adorable daughter at a river bank and leaves. Afterwards, she often visits there, and waits for him to return. Personally, the biggest mystery is why the father has to leave. From my perspective, I suppose it is because he represents a father who is forced to join an army, and heads to battlefields. There is a visual effect that reminds me of war. It is a tall black tree focused on the screen all of a sudden after the father bids farewell to his daughter. Then it struck me that the plume-of-water shape and colors, black and reddish-orange, tried to imply fire and black clouds of smoke generated by bombing. In a split second, I found the father's mortal fate. The visual composition, music, and the love between the father and the daughter would surely touch your emotions. That's why I recommend it.

loneliness

[konomi-49805 · 8/10 · 6 October 2021]

First part of this movie, a daughter and her father ride bicycles along a river. But, the father leaves his daughter by rowing a boat. Since then, she rides bicycle alone to go to the river to wait for her father every day. But, only years have passed. I think this story wants to tell us what is the most precious thing. In our daily life, we don't realize it, until we lose them. Suddenly it might happen to us. Whenever we lead a full life, we should be careful about it. Day by day, she grows and has friends and family. But every time, she seems to believe her father. According to this, to keep believing something is good not to forget it. But it's not good to believe too much and lose sight of your surroundings. You might lose your second most important thing. I prefer this type of animation movie. There are no dialogs, only background songs. I remember my childhood especially when I watched movies like this. I recommend watching this story for people who watched a lot of movies when they were children. Then we couldn't understand everything. But now we are mature, so we can watch this from a new perspective.

There was no dialogue but...

[bachispicaqtmz · 7/10 · 6 July 2017]

This film does not have any dialogue, but I could understand its story visibly. At first I could not see why the father leaves his daughter, but now I know what his disappearance implies. A few colors are used in the film, so it looks like a shadow picture. And the long shadows of the characters and trees are impressive for me. They made me feel melancholy. The planitive music also did so. I like this movie but there is one point that I can not understand. It is the scene when the daughter could meet her father again. She is returning to the figure of a young woman. Why did she not morph into the girl, who was separated from her father. If the scene is made like this, I might be moved more.

Beautiful

[ymtm · 9/10 · 17 July 2013]

This film is about a girl and her father. One day, they come to a shore and the father rows a boat into the sea. He left his daughter alone. She never gives up. She goes to the shore again and again to see her father.

The music of this film is very beautiful. In the beginning,I heard the sound of an accordion and it made me feel sadness. The music expresses the feeling of the girl, the season, and the weather. The music plays a very important role in this film. I was moved by the girl. However strong the wind is, she goes to the shore by bicycle. She does not stop going to the shore when she becomes an old woman. How tenacious she is!

I like this film so much that I want to watch it repeatedly.

father's decision

[kared-85089 · 7/10 · 9 May 2016]

I feel human life is oppressive watching this movie. There are three reasons why I feel so. The first is the beginning scene in which father holds the daughter in his arms many times. I think that he had been torn between deciding whether to live or to die. As a result, he decided to die and went to a sea or a lake with a boat. The second reason is the effect of the wheels of bicycles Almost all scenes has wheels which are turning around. I think those wheels show human life which is a never ending journey. At the beginning of this movie, the daughter become alone because her father had gone from her. However, time does not stop, whatever happens like this situation. So, I suppose that the wheels which continue to move express human life. The last reason is the behavior of the daughter throughout. After her father goes, she keeps going to a shore where they become separated. She probably notices that he does not come back, but she expected to see him again and cannot stop going there. We humans cannot meet dead people. Of course, we know that. However we cannot forget those people. This movie expresses such a painful human mind. In conclusion, I have an impression that human life is trying for these reasons. I can learn many things from this movie.

best film

[kazu-gaku · 9/10 · 6 May 2016]

I just watched "Father And Daughter" for the first time, and I found it touching.

I think that basic theme of this short film is life, it is not the fantasy life which is often shown in animation movie but the normal life.

Therefore, background music and touch of painting is very simple but is modest. For example, high-pitched sounds is used mainly on this film. I think that it imply the feeling of the Daughter. It may be expectation, elation, and so on. On the other hand, low sound is expressed her grief and her desire to meet her father. Her Expression is not drawn but it is possible to think of the feelings of that time by background music.

cycle is played an important role in this film. I said that the theme of this movie was life by the above, I suppose that cycle implied 'time' . As pedaling a bicycle, daughter is expressed the figure that she grows up. 166 Her figure of the last scene is the figure which she wanted to show father, I think. All in all, I was able to watch this film with beautiful music and to be impressed

This film reminds us of our sweet memories of "Father and Daughter."

[kumayama · 7/10 · 7 February 2014]

Father and Daughter is a film which simply shows the relationship between a father and a daughter, as the title says. Though the father for appears only a few minutes in the film, we can feel his presence all the way through this movie. It is easy for as to understand that the daughter is always thinking of her father by following her eyes looking for him. At the same time, the film makes us imagine her life vividly. It only shows the scene the daughter pedals a bicycle to come to the shore where she lost her father, however, the appearance of herself, people beside her and the weight of the pedal draw the situations which she is in at that moment. The relation between father and daughter is a special thing, typically. A father is a first boyfriend of a daughter, and a daughter is the last girlfriend of a father. When a girl faces her father, she is always "a daughter." It's different from any other relationship. This film reminds us of these special sweet memories.

I feel very sad.

[goalkeeper-yuta · 5/10 · 5 July 2013]

When a girl is little, her father crosses the sea by boat, and his figure disappears from the girl. Every day the girl goes to the sea where father disappeared. I wonder why her father is gone, even though his daughter is very little. This movie made me very sad. i am very surprised at the girl's action, because she goes on searching for her father even though she become an old lady. When I saw this movie, this movie tells me that she never forgot the existence of her father, furthermore it is important for us to live with our families. The scene that her father crosses the sea tells that her father will never came back. It is difficult for little children to take this real situation. Before I saw this movie, I never thought that family is precious, but I learn from this movie that nothing is more important than spend time with families.

Father and Daughter

[ayuppe003 · 20 July 2013]

This is the story about a father and his daughter. First, the father went to somewhere by bicycle and boat. His daughter saw him off by the sea.

The daughter waited for a long time, because her father did not come back. A long time passed after he went. She waited and met for him on the rainy day and wind day, with her bicycle. She grew up. She made many friends. They spent their days the usual way. However, she did not go through. She stopped at the place she said good bye to her father. She had never forgotten.

This story makes me so sad. I want her to meet her father when he lived. However I like this movie, because I can see the love of the father and daughter. It is so beautiful.

I recommend this story. If you see this, you can see the love of father and daughter. You will feel so good.