Writer-director Luchina Fisher’s documentary The Dads, a portrait of assorted American fathers trying to support their trans and non-binary children in these dark times, is both painfully timely and blessedly hopeful, a warning and a balm in one handy package.
Built off the foundation laid by Fisher’s 2023 short of the same name about some of the same subjects, the film gets across the diversity of these parents’ experiences, ranging from dads who didn’t get it at first to others who were quicker to understand and accept their children’s feelings. Clearly, the idea is to open up multiple entry points of empathy for cis people trying to get to grips with trans identity, should they be close to someone of that persuasion or not, without sounding patronizing. It certainly works by that yardstick, making this the perfect film to recommend to confused grandparents or naïve neighbors to help them understand at least a little bit what families like this might be going through.