FATHER'S DAY © Viennale
Image of movie Father's Day
Image of movie Father's Day
Features

Father's Day

Kivu Ruhorahoza
Ruanda 2022
111 min
V'22

Angesiedelt in verschiedenen Milieus – von einer wohlhabenden Elite über die Mittelschicht bis zu Kleinkriminellen –, undramatisch erzählt in nahen, geduldigen Bildern, gewinnen drei sich kreuzende Geschichten Kontur. Ihr Thema: die toxische Macht des Patriarchats, präsent in der Selbstverständlichkeit, mit der der Ehemann das Leben seiner Frau bestimmt, im Genozid von 1994, in der Brutalität eines Vaters gegen den Sohn, in der ständigen Bezugnahme auf Gott, den Übervater. Doch der Film mit seinen anrührenden und starken Frauenfiguren stellt auch fest: Das Patriarchat herrscht, aber es bröckelt, die Macht der Väter bleibt nicht mehr unhinterfragt. (Barbara Kronsfoth)

Zaninka is a married woman grieving a lost child. Mukobwa is a girl from a wealthy family expected to donate a lung to her sick father. Kadogo is a kid trying to grow up on the streets of Kigali despite his abusive dad. These are the protagonists of FATHER’S DAY, the third feature by Rwandan filmmaker Kivu Ruhorahoza and arguably one of the most interesting films of the year. The first aspect to catch the attention is the impeccable precision of the framing and the balance of colors, both elements that create an intense contrast between the disquiet of the characters and the stillness of their environments.
FATHER’S DAY delivers a story of liberation and rebirth in which the protagonists are taking a stand against patriarchy head on. If the story might seem very fashionable today, its capacity to consider the relationship between religion, family and the tragedy of the 1994 genocide is of utmost importance in the narrative of a country that is still very much haunted by its past. In portraying these two women and a child, the film makes a statement of trust in the future of Rwanda. The faces of hope are found in the marvelous cast, who build a new, aware, feminine gaze on their reality together with the director. (Rebecca De Pas)

Kivu Ruhorahoza: GREY MATTER (2011), THINGS OF THE AIMLESS WANDERER (2015), TOURISM AND ANTHRO- POLOGY IN THE WAKE OF A ROMANTIC BREAK-UP (2018, K), EUROPA: BASED ON A TRUE STORY (2018), GHOSTS IN THE CITY (2020, Installation)

Credits
  • Mediatrice Kayitesi
  • Aline Amike
  • Yves Kijyana
  • Cedric Ishimwe
  • André Musagara
  • Elie Bigirimana
  • Taté
  • Kivu Ruhorahoza
  • Michael Makembe
  • Ricardo Sankara
  • Sonia Uwimbabazi
Iyugi Productions

Iyugi Productions

DCP
Farbe
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