In 2007, Canadian filmmakers Adam Brooks and Jeremy Gillespie formed the production company Astron-6, named after 1980s video labels. The group later included Matt Kennedy, Conor Sweeney, and Steven Kostanski, each having a unique set of expertise. They shot a series of short films in 2007 before moving on to starting the feature film Manborg in 2008. A send-up of ’80s genre films, the film wasn’t released until 2011 due to the extensive post-production work. Manborg premiered at Fantastic Fest 2011, where it made the Official Selection and was a huge hit with audiences. While Steven Kostanski was finishing up Manborg, the others were making more short films and prepping their next feature film. Their next feature would be an action-horror comedy evocative of old grindhouse films and was distributed by Troma. In October 2011, Astron-6’s Father’s Day premiered at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival.
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Synopsis
As a child, Ahab (Adam Brooks) witnessed his father get killed by Chris Fuchman (Mackenzie Murdock), a serial rapist/killer. He’s raised by Father O’Flynn (Kevin Anderson), who trains him to eventually hunt down and exact his revenge on Fuchman. Years later, Ahab kills what he thinks is Fuchman, but it’s actually one of his victims, and he’s arrested. Meanwhile, male prostitute Andrew (Conor Sweeney), aka Twink, sees his father get set on fire by Fuchman. Father John Sullivan (Matthew Kennedy) tries to comfort him, but Twink shoots him down, so he asks O’Flynn for advice. O’Flynn tells John to seek out Ahab, as he’s the only one who can kill Fuchman, but Ahab is reluctant. However, after Ahab’s sister Chelsea (Amy Groening) is kidnapped, Ahab joins John and Twink to hunt down the Fuchman. Will our heroes succeed, and what does Fuchman have planned for Chelsea?
Review
Father’s Day is a testament to the power of drive and perseverance found in the best of low-budget films. Given the budget was roughly $10,000, it’s impressive the film got made, let alone looking as good as it does. Joe Dante once said that there are two types of movies: color movies and movies that happen to have color. This is definitely a color movie, given the use of colored lighting, which enhances the film’s style and looks fantastic. Combined with the film scratches and subtle shaky cam, the filmmakers went above and beyond to recreate the grindhouse look. The fully synthesized score is evocative of John Carpenter’s best film scores, especially Escape from New York. There are also some intentionally silly effects used, including choppy stop-motion and obvious green screen compositing. Some might be put off by this, but to me, they enhance its charm.
The cast all do a fantastic job, with Brooks, Sweeney, and Kennedy making for a solid trio of oddball heroes. They’re able to skirt the fine line of taking themselves seriously enough while also acknowledging how absurd the story is. On top of being stunning, Groening shines as Ahab’s estranged sister, as she has some fun back-and-forths with the guys. Though mostly speechless, Murdock makes for a truly revolting and hideous rapist/killer, the perfect hateable and terrifying villain. The practical effects are really good, especially given the small budget, and the filmmakers revel in the gross-out factor. While there are some genuinely disturbing moments, the over-the-top scenes balance things out without clashing with the more serious scenes. Admittedly, it goes maybe too over-the-top in the last third, but given everything else that happens, but what’d you expect? Overall, hardcore genre fans will love Father’s Day, but fathers probably won’t.
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