Weekend films

'A Daughter', a family drama on the theme of forgiveness

In cinemas, the new film by Ivano De Matteo starring Stefano Accorsi and Ginevra Francesconi, both very good in difficult roles

25 April 2025

3' min read

How much can a parent endure a crime committed by his child? And to what extent can he forgive it? These are questions that today's cinema and seriality are strongly questioning, just think of 'Us and Them' by the Coulin sisters, released in cinemas a few months ago, or the very powerful miniseries 'Adolescence', directed by Philip Barantini.

From the same questions seems to start 'Una figlia', a new feature film by Ivano De Matteo, one of the weekend's new releases in cinemas.

The protagonist is Stefano Accorsi in the role of Pietro, a middle-aged man with a great grief behind him: the death of his wife who left him alone with their daughter. He had no time for grief because he had to take care of her, raising her with love and dedication in an exclusive, all-encompassing relationship in which one healed the other's wounds through his own.

When, after a few years, he tries to start a new life with a new partner, everything does not go as he dreamed: his daughter's reaction to the novelty is completely negative and leads to extreme consequences.

Loosely based on the novel "Whatever Happens" by Ciro Noja, "Una figlia" takes up some of the ideas that De Matteo had put forward in his previous film, "Mia", the story of a teenage girl who starts a toxic relationship with a boy older than her, who demands the girl's undivided attention, causing her parents to worry and the father figure's attempt to remove her from such a disturbing and dangerous situation.

“Una figlia” e gli altri film della settimana
Photogallery4 foto

Hard-to-tell feelings

De Matteo thus returns to reasoning about human relationships, especially family relationships, describing a relationship between a father and daughter that turns towards total disintegration when a third person enters into this long-established duo.

The director leads us to try to understand both characters, without judging but managing to put us spectators in an uncomfortable position as well, forcing us to reflect on moral doubts that are impossible to solve easily.

There is not only the theme of forgiveness, but also that of an (impossible?) understanding within a courageous drama capable of conveying conflicting feelings that are difficult to describe in a screenplay.

It is a pity, however, that there are several too many strains within a script that alternates between sincere and engaging moments and others that are too contrived.

The intense and not easy performances of Stefano Accorsi and Ginevra Francesconi as the girl should be highlighted positively;

Travelling with my son

Relationships between parents and children are also the focus of 'Travelling with My Son', an American film directed by Tony Goldwin.

The protagonist is a failed comedian desperately trying to put the pieces of his life back together. After ruining his career and marriage, he finds himself living with his father, a gruff but loving man with a biting sarcasm and a bigger heart than he cares to admit. At the centre of his existence is his son, a special eleven-year-old boy with a brilliant intelligence and his own way of seeing the world.

A rather unconventional road movie, this feature film deals with the difficulties of being a parent, and tells the story of having an autistic child in more detail.

The cues are important and there is no lack of touching passages, although overall the film also has numerous limitations in some overly rhetorical and didactic passages.

Talking about the cast, the best is offered by newcomer William Fitzgerald, capable of holding his own against the likes of Robert De Niro and Bobby Cannavale.