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Parents' Guide to

Double Dad

By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Teen heads to the city to find father; mature themes.

Movie NR 2021 103 minutes
Double Dad Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • Double Dad Movie: Scene 1
  • Double Dad Movie: Scene 2
  • Double Dad Movie: Scene 3

Community Reviews

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age 11+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Ron T.
Ron T. Adult
May 6, 2023
age 13+
I was very disappointed in the ending of this movie. The characters are very appealing and the issues are complex. In the end nothing is really resolved. Spoiler: Being a Dad is the most important accomplishment in my life, and I’ve accomplished a lot. I was there for the birth of all my children, and spent many hours nurturing and teaching them. I’m rewarded with 6 lovely grandchildren who also had their diapers changed, and walked to sleep by me. That’s a Dad. This ending has fake Dads. In the end, this movie shows that traditional nuclear families are the healthiest environment for children, not that any stray man can be your Dad.
vnica
vnica Adult
February 1, 2021
age 9+

Adventure with kindness

It’s a cultural experience colored with love, kindness, and health conscious messages, showing there are amazing ways that child team grow up and live. There’s a few traditional differences that may bother parents but kids do not notice them per se. This movie is the cleanest version of Brazil and their cultures that I’ve seen in a long time and it’s a gift to allow my kid to see a beautiful story of a child’s life in Brazil growing up in a commune and moving to the city to find her dad and also to see where her mom had her youth. The most positive of messages, shows this young girl Vesenza sticking to her nutritional values which is a very mature thing to do and it’s hard to get kids to adopt healthy values these days. My daughter who is 9, found this an empowering movie for young women and the message in the end is that family can be anyone who shows love and respect and makes time for you. Slow down parents and be there for your children. That’s all they want in order to call you mom or dad.
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What's the Story?

In DOUBLE DAD, Vicenza (Maisa Silva) has lived in a remote Brazilian commune with her free-spirited mother Raion (Laila Zaid) all her life. When she reaches 18, Mom travels to India and Vicenza runs to Rio to find the father hidden from her for years, based on a random photo she finds. Things fall into place rather easily as she takes a 10-hour bus ride to a city she's never been to where, without a hitch, she finds Paco (Eduardo Moscovis), the man she's looking for. In no time, she discovers another picture of her mother with yet another man, this one named Giovanne (Marcelo Medici), and lickety-split she finds that guy, too, getting past security at his large office building to confront him as well. Both men embrace her with little or no evidence and no hesitation. But when each man learns of the other, they both abandon her in anger. Will Vicenza's sunny outlook charm everyone and lead to a happy ending?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (3 ):

From the first moment, fantasy dominates the mood, telegraphing that this is a piece of fluff that no one should take too seriously. With the emphasis on Vicenza breaking away from an overprotective mother, this movie may appeal to tweens and young teens chafing at their own parental restrictions.

Double Dad is buoyed by the sweet and open-hearted personality of a young woman in search of the identity of her father, but nothing about this suggests the actual difficulty anyone trying to find a father might encounter. Be aware that the implications are that Mom had sex with quite a few men in her youth, so sex is an underlying theme the movie tries hard to never mention. Both dads protest that Vicenza is too young to "make out" when a boy her age kisses her, raising the irony that they themselves clearly were active sexually when they were around her age.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the way that Double Dad looks at single parenthood. Why do you think Raion has kept the identity of her daughter Vicenza's father a secret all of Vicenza's life?

  • Do you think the ease with which Vicenza found her dads seems realistic? Do you think someone looking for a father in real life would have such an easy time?

  • How do you think the movie wants you to feel about Vicenza? Is she admirable? Is she impulsive? Is she courageous? Why?

Movie Details

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