DOK Leipzig/ 9/ Daddy’s Girl
… directed by Melisa Üneri, who has a Finnish mother and a Turkish father, the protagonist of this unpretentious, light in tone and yet tough and moving, well told story about the relationship between the young girl (the director) and her father, who lives in Finland and who has brought up his daughter with love and strictness. He is a charming man, he knows when the camera is on, he is apparently obsessed by cleaning his house (!), he is single, wants to find a partner, daughter wants to help build up a profile for the dating service on the internet, he has a job as an eye specialist – and drinks too much. With consequences in the relationship to the daughter.
Melisa wants to move to Turkey, she does, she is in contact with her grandmother, the mother of the father, the two of them have not been in contact for long, but although he has been living in Finland most of his life, you understand from where his wish to protect/control his daughter comes. From his mother! It does not take long, according to the film, before grandmother and father get into arguments, when the latter arrives in Istanbul to visit. ”I want you to be nice and lady-like” is one of the sentences said by the father to his daughter, and when he does not hear from Melisa for some time, he knows that something must have happened. It has, she has got a boyfriend and the father is to meet him…
And then… no, I will not tell you, watch for yourself. Producer is Finnish director Mika Ronkainen, you sense his touch in the film, that has an appeal to a big audience, Rise and Shine has the sales rights.
Finland, 2015, 52 mins.
