X
  • 2018
  • Not Rated
  • Kino Lorber
  • 1 h 39 m
  • 2018
  • Not Rated
  • Kino Lorber
  • 1 h 39 m

Summary After his Sundance award-winning documentary Return to Homs, Talal Derki returned to his homeland where he gained the trust of a radical Islamist family, sharing their daily life for over two years. His camera focuses primarily on the children, providing an extremely rare insight into what it means to grow up with a father whose only dre...

Directed By: Talal Derki

Written By: Abd-Elhamed Emad Taha, Talal Derki

  • 2018
  • Not Rated
  • Kino Lorber
  • 1 h 39 m
  • 2018
  • Not Rated
  • Kino Lorber
  • 1 h 39 m

Of Fathers and Sons

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 7 Critic Reviews
70
User Score Generally Favorable Based on 12 User Ratings
6.7
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Summary After his Sundance award-winning documentary Return to Homs, Talal Derki returned to his homeland where he gained the trust of a radical Islamist family, sharing their daily life for over two years. His camera focuses primarily on the children, providing an extremely rare insight into what it means to grow up with a father whose only dre...

Directed By: Talal Derki

Written By: Abd-Elhamed Emad Taha, Talal Derki

Where to Watch

Top Cast

View All
View All Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 7 Critic Reviews
70
86% Positive
6 Reviews
14% Mixed
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 7 Critic Reviews
70
86% Positive
6 Reviews
14% Mixed
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
80
Nov 15, 2018
The result is as despairing as any portrait of close-knit family and dedicated parenthood can be, adeptly blending sensationalism with domestic intimacy, and sincerely eye-opening in its portrayal of inherited Islamist fervor.
By Guy Lodge FULL REVIEW
80
Nov 15, 2018
An admirably audacious feat of documentarian access, Of Fathers and Sons is of obvious topical and anthropological interest as a glimpse into the gradual radicalization of young males and the deep community ties which underpin the process.
By Neil Young FULL REVIEW
75
Nov 23, 2018
Watching young men become militarized is one of those gut-churning documentary topics. And yet the main subject of Of Fathers and Sons would argue that this is the only path to freedom and to happiness. The best parts of Talal Derki’s award-winning film not only seek to understand that but to reason with it.
By Brian Tallerico FULL REVIEW
75
Nov 15, 2018
Of Fathers and Sons is a vital addition to the cultural picture of the Syrian conflict.
By Daniel Schindel FULL REVIEW
75
Nov 4, 2018
The film's verité approach risks humanizing Abu Osama, but we eventually gain a complex understanding of the banality of his evil.
By Derek Smith FULL REVIEW
70
Nov 21, 2018
The nuances in Derki’s portraits are what deepen the elements that could easily have been a distancing turnoff.
By Robert Abele FULL REVIEW
50
Nov 15, 2018
Of Fathers and Sons is ultimately more impressive for its access than it is revealing of drives or beliefs. If Derki’s goal was to capture what causes ideology to spread, he and his camera look without seeing.
By Ben Kenigsberg FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 12 User Ratings
6.7
67% Positive
8 Ratings
33% Mixed
4 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 12 User Ratings
6.7
67% Positive
8 Ratings
33% Mixed
4 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

 View All
Production Company Basis Berlin Filmproduktion, Ventana Film- und Fernsehproduktion, Cinema Group Production, Südwestrundfunk (SWR), Impact Partners
Release Date Nov 16, 2018
Duration 1 h 39 m
Rating Not Rated
Genres
Website https://www.offathersandsons.com/
View All Details

Awards

Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
Cinema Eye Honors Awards, US
• 1 Win & 4 Nominations
Black Movie Film Festival
• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations

Related Movies

Hoop Dreams

98
Universal Acclaim

Man with a Movie Camera

96
Universal Acclaim

Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

96
Universal Acclaim

I Am Not Your Negro

95
Universal Acclaim

Woodstock

95
Universal Acclaim

Collective

95
Universal Acclaim

Amazing Grace

94
Universal Acclaim

Stop Making Sense

94
Universal Acclaim

We Were Here

94
Universal Acclaim

Faces Places

94
Universal Acclaim

David Byrne’s American Utopia

93
Universal Acclaim

Shoah: Four Sisters

93
Universal Acclaim

Our Body

93
Universal Acclaim

Sherpa

93
Universal Acclaim

The Decline of Western Civilization

93
Universal Acclaim

Brother's Keeper

93
Universal Acclaim

Crumb

93
Universal Acclaim

One More Time with Feeling

92
Universal Acclaim

Sugarcane

92
Universal Acclaim

The Act of Killing

92
Universal Acclaim

De Humani Corporis Fabrica

92
Universal Acclaim

Menus Plaisirs - Les Troisgros

92
Universal Acclaim

Related News

2024 Movie Release Calendar

2024 Movie Release Calendar

Jason Dietz

Find release dates for every movie coming to theaters, VOD, and streaming throughout 2024 and beyond, updated weekly.

  • movie
Every Zack Snyder Movie, Ranked

Every Zack Snyder Movie, Ranked

Nick Hyman

With the arrival of Zack Snyder's latest Rebel Moon chapter on Netflix, we rank every one of the director's films—from bad to, well, less bad—by Metascore.

  • movie
Every Guy Ritchie Movie, Ranked

Every Guy Ritchie Movie, Ranked

Nick Hyman

We rank every one of the British director's movies by Metascore, from his debut Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels to his brand new film, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

  • movie
April Movie Preview (2024)

April Movie Preview (2024)

Keith Kimbell

The month ahead will bring new films from Alex Garland, Luca Guadagnino, Dev Patel, and more. To help you plan your moviegoing options, our editors have selected the most notable films releasing in April 2024, listed in alphabetical order.

  • movie
DVD/Blu-ray Releases: New & Upcoming

DVD/Blu-ray Releases: New & Upcoming

Jason Dietz

Find a list of new movie and TV releases on DVD and Blu-ray (updated weekly) as well as a calendar of upcoming releases on home video.

  • movie