A privileged man-child arrives at the beautiful and remote coastal cabin of his estranged father, whom he hasn't seen in 30 years. He quickly discovers that not only is his dad a jerk, he also has a shady past that is rushing to catch up with him.
Come to Daddy could be best described as a solid middle finger to those that enjoy formulaic narratives in their films. Throwing away all vestiges of storytelling expectations, Ant Timpson aims to create something new--for his feature film directorial debut--with this horror-laced tragicomedy.
A film of two halves, Elijah Wood navigates his way through an unnervingly dramatic former, and an indiscriminatingly chaotic latter. If Elijah Wood is good for anything, it is his wide-eyed look of shock and confusion. It seems like something that would be perfect for horror, but at the same time, if one always looks shocked then how do you know when he’s truly been shocked? You would have to rely on his actions, but those actions can only be explained away by a generous dose of meth.
From his haircut and style of dress to his awkward mannerisms, lack of conversational skills, unemployment, and suicidal tendencies, Wood’s Norval, is every parent’s nightmare. However, credit where credit is due, Wood’s portrayal is so needy and pathetic that it garners a sense of sympathy through weakness; like a bullied lamb or the disfigured runt of the puppy litter. Norval’s attempt to reconnect with his father after 30 years is uncomfortable and uneasy, something that the audience is all-the-more aware of due to the distinct lack of exposition in the first act. No information is volunteered, and we are left in the dark just as much as Norval is. The pacing almost grinds to a complete halt, waiting for something to drive things forward.
Events unfold and support characters come and go, with little to add beyond bringing more peculiarities into the film. Eventually forming a bubble of potential directions and the audience is kept on their toes waiting to see which way the bubble will burst. Timpson goes all-in in his attempts to be the new M. Night Shyamalan and subvert expectations, all of a sudden switching tact, dumping exposition, and hitting the accelerator, sending Come to Daddy careening off into the unknown taking out anything in its path.
It isn’t until the second half of the film where the film suddenly embraces gore, and it doesn’t hold back. Sharp implements, body…excretions, blood and violence, gratuitous nudity, and expendable cannon fodder, Come to Daddy has it all. The action choreography is well-executed and has good realism (from a visual perspective, at least). There are several points that will make you cringe in sympathy and some that will have you scratching your head in confusion.
Filmed in Vancouver, the scenery is gorgeous and the set design and costuming are curiously creative and visually eye-catching. It adds to the strange and unsettling vibe of the film, in a very effective manner.
The narrative structure of Come to Daddy is dysfunctional with non-existent pacing until it turns on the turbo and rides straight over the cliff when the film finally gets some momentum. With a couple of interesting choices in direction, Timpson keeps the audience watching until the end, but will have them leaving the cinema unsatisfied. It goes against the grain and has some brilliant gore and fight scenes, but the remainder leaves Come to Daddy underwhelming overall.