Just Leave Daddy Be

In the Netherlands, 1.6 million children under 22 years of age have a parent with a mental problem or an addiction. In Debbie Kleijn follows 12-year-old Melvin, whose stepfather Hans suffers from a personality disorder. Melvin sees Hans as his real father, but a real father is someone who does fun stuff with his son, and that's not the case with Hans. He's depressed, complains a lot, can't stand it when Melvin cheerfully makes noise at home, and is unable to cope with the social demands fatherhood puts on him. In a remarkably frank portrait consisting of interviews and family scenes that Kleijn shot over a period of a few years, Hans, Melvin and his mother Janet illustrate to what extent Hans's mental problems encroach on their lives. With harrowing results, at times. "I'd rather have a father who's normal," Melvin says. "It just feels awful in my belly, as if I'm missing something." is a result of the 2003 IDFA Scenario Workshop.