Oscar hopefuls have daddy issues

Sometimes a multitude of movies focus on the same subject; maybe it's a coincidence or maybe the filmmakers are tapping into the collective unconscious. Either way, a lot of this year's Oscar nominees are having daddy issues.

A key example is "Narcosis", the international film submission from the Netherlands. The film, directed by Martijn de Jong and written by him and Laura van Dijk, centers on a man's wife, son and daughter when he does not return from dangerous work. "It's about love and life and how the loss forces you to look at that in a brighter light," de Jong told Variety.

It's a great movie and a reminder that this year's daddy fixation is a worldwide phenomenon .

Hugh Jackman depicts the complex relationship a man has with his father and his own offspring in "The Son," while "The Whale" and "Aftersun" are about a strained father-daughter relationship. The same goes for Lena Dunham's "Catherine Called Birdy," in which the central relationship is between Birdy and her dad (Bella Ramsey and Andrew Scott, both excellent).

Disney's "Strange World" animation features Searcher Clade (voiced by Jake Gyllenhaal) and his relationship with her pop and her teenage son.

The main characters of "The Batman" and "The Northman" are spurred into action by the murder of their respective dads. (As a bonus, Catwoman is also haunted by her relationship with her father.)

In "Armageddon Time", Jeremy Strong appears to be a supportive albeit ineffectual father until ' it explodes, indicating it harbors frightening demons.

Ahead of the release of "Blonde," director Andrew Dominik told ThePlaylist, "It's a film for all the unloved children in the world." Reaction to Venice Fest was elated, but since then critics and audiences have been much more divided. But whatever you think of the movie, you can't deny that it has a lot to say about absent fathers.

Father's fixation in 2022 should come as no surprise.

With movements like #MeToo, the phrase "toxic masculinity" has become mainstream and there is frequent cries to “overthrow the patriarchy”. This raises questions: what is a man supposed to be now? What is patriarchy and what is a patriarch? In "She Said", the reporters' husbands are variants of June Cleaver, as they prepare dinner and worry about their wife's overwork.

In addition to gender issues, we live in a time of constant fear and uncertainty. People yearn for reassurance, and many people want to metaphorically sit on Dad's lap and be cradled.

It's not all father-centric. Mothers are essential in "Cha Cha Real Smooth", "Everything Everywhere All at Once", "Tar", "Till" and "Turning Red", to name a few.

The writers of "Narcosis" are a couple, with two children. Writing, he says, "We wondered if there was a specific role that fathers and mothers had in families or in society. The theme of family is really at the heart of the script," adding that it was difficult to explore ideas of family loss.

And then there's "The Fabelmans". The absent father was a recurring figure in Steven Spielberg's films like "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial", "Hook", etc. But around the time of "War of the Worlds" and from "Munich" in 2005, the father has become a reliable and responsible guy. And "Fabelmans" gives equal time to both parents.

Fathers have always played a big role in American movies. Heroic dads include Atticus Finch in "To Kill a Mockingbird," father figure Juan (Mahershala Ali) in "Moonlight," and even Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks) in "Finding Nemo." The most negative is Darth Vader, whose phrase "No, I am your father" has traumatized several generations about fatherly feelings.

This year, the world of cinema’...