Content Advisory: Suicide
A young man tries to reconcile his father’s death with the help of old home movie recordings in My Dad’s Tapes. On August 9, 2006, Leonard Watson dropped off his 8-year-old son Kurtis at summer camp and promptly disappeared, only to be found dead a month later of an apparent suicide. 14 years after his father’s passing, Kurtis receives a thumb drive with his dad’s old home video recordings. After seeing the footage on the tapes, Kurtis realizes he has unprocessed grief about his father’s death, which is contributing to his own issues with mental health and sexual identity.
My Dad’s Tapes Synopsis
My Dad’s Tapes is the debut film by Kurtis Watson, which sees himself turn the camera on himself and his family, as they try to reconcile unprocessed grief over the sudden and unexpected suicide of Kurtis’ father Leonard. Kurtis interviews his mother and two older sisters to try and get answers as to why his father could have taken his life. Kurtis is also led by retired police detective Geoff Ingram for the first time to the bridge by a golf course, where his father’s body was found.
My Thoughts on My Dad’s Tapes
My Dad’s Tapes is an incredibly heavy film that sees director and subject Kurtis Watson use the documentary medium as a form of personal therapy. The film also works as an outlet for Kurtis’ family, particularly his oldest sister Rebecca, who years ago moved away from home and tried to shut the suicide out of her mind. However, ultimately My Dad’s Tapes is about this family’s path towards healing and trying to stop the stigma about mental health and suicide.
Trailer for My Dad’s Tapes – Hot Docs 2024
