In My Father's Den [DVD] [2005]

This movie is such a heart-wrenching drama that it stays in your mind for days. Actually it hovers between the haunting mystery and the psychological drama. This is the story of Paul Prior, a world-renowned war photographer, who returns for the first time in 17 years to his small, isolated home-town in New Zealand for the funeral of his father. The local townspeople, including his brother Andrew and Paul's ex-girlfriend, Jackie, are stunned to see him again after so long. Reluctantly helping Andrew sort out their father's estate, Paul is forced to confront his eventful past, especially when he re-visits the old den in his father's house. The den was his father's secret book room. This is where one day he finds Celia, a mysterious and feisty sixteen-year-old girl who has been using this hide-away as a private haven to write her stories and to dream of escaping to a better world in Europe. Paul first insists that she leave but when he realizes that she is the daughter of his ex-girlfriend Jackie, he starts befriending her for a reason of his own (see the movie to find out).

Although there is nothing sexual between them, their growing and unusual friendship appears suspicious to the eyes of the townspeople, of Jackie and even Andrew and when Celia disappears, Paul is immediately the prime suspect.

As the Police start investigating Celia's disappearance, more flashback scenes come to Paul's mind, some of them depicting the growing friendship between he and Celia while others relate to his long-ago love affair with Jackie. These flashbacks are cleverly used because little by little they slowly unveil the haunting mystery and hint at the ultimate and painful truth. You really long to know what tragedy Paul ran away from when he was 17. However, although the plotline is excellent, the characters are what makes this movie so intriguing because they are so real. Paul Prior is very interesting with a deep, complex personality. He is a renowned photographer but he is very cynical about his job and about the world. One of his biggest flaws is probably that he is unable to face his responsibilities or to keep in touch with people-for fear of being hurt, no doubt. Yet, he enjoys talking to Celia because they share the same dreams and she has a very mature and unusual perception of things. Matthew MacFadyen in the part is really brilliant. well, I think that he was already a great Darcy in Pride&Prejudice,-a different Darcy from the book, I grant you, but still very attractive, (I even wish that there were more scenes with him)- but in this movie, he gives an amazing performance. He takes up so much the screen that you can't take your eyes off him. His voice is still irresistible but what is really amazing about him in this movie is the way he makes his character so real just by using his eyes to express something, a thought, a feeling. Emily Barclay's performance is also very impressive and brings energy and life to Celia. Her voice haunts the movie as she tells her wonderful stories. With MacFadyen, she forms a pair that is moving and unforgettable. The best moments of the movie for me are when they are alone together. Their complicity is so touching. There is a wonderful scene that I particularly like, when they are both in a car, he sitting at the front, she at the back, and she tells him that she has won the short-story competition. From the back seat, she can only see his eyes in the front view mirror (the camera focuses on that) and the look that passes across the mirror between them is amazing because you've got the feeling that he is proud of her. He doesn't say so but his eyes seem to express that. Keep the Kleenex tissues with you!The final scene is also moving!

The photography is beautiful but this is not the New Zealand of The Lord of the Rings, this New Zealand is more rural with still gorgeous landscapes. The music -with Patty Smith's songs- is used a lot and gives a nostalgic atmosphere.

PS: I almost put 4 stars because there are no English subtitles on the DVD. (what a shame). I am French and although my English is very good, it was sometimes hard to catch all the words especially with the New Zealand accent.

Matthew Macfadyen is simply a superb actor. I was intrigued by him in Spooks, delighted by him in The Way We Live Now, and bewitched body and soul (sorry, I couldn't resist...) in Pride & Prejudice. But In My Father's Den shows the true depth of his talent.

War journalist Paul Prior returns home for his father's funeral having left at age seventeen. Staying on to help his brother Andrew (Colin Moy, Riverworld) clear out the house, Paul is inundated with memories of his childhood; his relationship with his father, his mother's suicide and affair with ex-girlfriend Jackie (Jodie Rimmer, Snakeskin). At the center of all of these memories is his father's den - a secret room filled with books and atlases which he discovered as a boy and where he dreamed of traveling the world.

Taking a temporary teaching position at the local school, Paul befriends ex-girlfriend Jackie's sixteen year old daughter, Celia (Emily Barclay). When Celia goes missing, Paul is the prime suspect.

The ending is gut wrenching.

Emily Barclay's debut is excellent, but without question, Matthew Macfadyen's acting makes this movie.

I so look forward to seeing more of his acting in the future. Macfadyen has the ability to make you forget you're watching a movie and isn't that what all actors should aspire to?

Based on the book by New Zealand writer Maurice Gee, this is the best film to come out of New Zealand in recent years. Uplifting, heart-rending, intriguing and inspirational, every moment is a pleasure to watch.

Paul Prior, a troubled war photographer returns to his hometown for his father’s funeral. In his father’s secret study he discovers a 16-year-old girl, Celia, taking refuge from the world outside. The stage is set for a family drama, the unearthing of buried secrets, an enduring and beautiful friendship and, ultimately, tragedy. All this is lovingly captured in the human scenery of spectacular New Zealand and embroidered with details from the most subtle and sublime of imaginations. Past and present are beautifully handled as the film moves towards its unhappy and yet ultimately uplifting ending.

This will inevitably draw comparisons with Whale Rider: if only because of the paucity of Kiwi films that reach us in the UK. Unlike Whale Rider, In My Father’s Den requires no knowledge of New Zealand to appreciate fully. But one thing they share is a shockingly precocious performance by a teenager in a lead role. As the outsider Celia, Emily Barclay is beautifully poised and infinitely believable. MacFayed is also wonderful as the unsettled Paul, and the interactions between the two are a delight to behold. This is an uncompromising film but it is not brutal: as it ends in typically understated terms, you will be left with hope in the power of dreams and friendship. A treasure of a film that deserves to be seen all over the world.