Unless you’re planning to settle for a generic tie or pajamas, shopping for a Father’s Day gift entails matching the present to the man. Fortunately, the film gods have seen fit to provide a range of offerings that cover every base — whether your dad is tough or sensitive, helpful or aloof.
1. A man’s movie if ever there was one, the existential 1953 nail-biter The Wages of Fear is a deeply and unexpectedly profound contemplation of one’s place in the world. A fascinating character study that turns into an action flick in its breathless second half, Henri-Georges Clouzot’s forged-steel drama centers on four guys (two Frenchmen, a Dutchman and an Italian) stuck in their postwar malaise in a South American town. In a gesture that transforms their individual scarred histories into timeless archetypes, they take on the suicide mission of driving two trucks of nitroglycerine to a burning, faraway oil field. Maybe Dad fancies himself a desperate hero, too. The Wages of Fear plays June 8-14, 2012 at SFFS Cinema. For more information, visit SFFS Cinema.
Yellow Submarine
2. What kind of father would take his children to see an animated film inspired by a novelty hit by a band known for its groundbreaking experimentation with drugs? Is it better, or worse, if the kids take the old man? Either way, 40-plus years and the imprimatur of The Beatles make everything copacetic. John, George, Paul and Ringo were initially reluctant to participate in Yellow Submarine (1968) beyond granting the rights to a couple of B-sides, but were completely won over by the completed work. (“What were they smoking?” you might ask.) Newly restored, the trippiest family film this side of Fantasia screens June 8, 10, 11 and 12 at the Castro Theatre. For more information visit castrotheatre.com.
3. Father’s Day coincides with the weekend of Juneteenth, and the 14th annual San Francisco Black Film Festival (June 15-17) parlays the dual celebration into a Saturday focus on the family. Films by Kevin Epps (Fam Bam) and Jacquie Taliaferro (10-10 Gotta Win) anchor a day of games, music and discussion. The real attraction, we submit, is the presentation of the winning entries in the “My Dad is My Hero” video and essay contest. For more information visit sfbff.org.