Daddy – Anchor Bay Entertainment (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 2023
Directors: Neal Kelley, Jono Sherman
Writers: Neal Kelley, Jono Sherman
Cast: Jacqueline Toboni, Britt Baron, Yuriy Sardarov, Joseph Lopez, Pomme Koch, Neal Kelley, Jono Sherman

Release Date: February 25th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 98 Minutes 28 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $39.95

"In a dystopian society where the state has the power to determine who can and cannot father children, four men attend a government sanctioned retreat in the remote mountains of California. When they show up at the site, only to find no guide or instructions waiting for them, they are left to their own devices and must prove to themselves--and each other--that they have what it takes to become fathers." – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 4/5

Daddy comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 23.5 GB

Feature: 18.5 GB

Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, and compression is very good.

Audio: 4/5

This release comes with one audio option, a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix in English. The audio sounds clear and balanced throughout. Included are removable English SDH and Spanish subtitles. Dialog always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Though this is a dialog-driven film, ambient sounds are well represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an Improvisation Reel (19 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), extended / alternative dancing scene (2 minutes18 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), bonus web series  C.U.P.S. episode 1 (6 minutes 41 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and episode 5 (6 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary directors / stars Neal Kelley and Jono Sherman.

Summary:

Four men are selected to be part of a government program that determines if they will be good fathers.

Set in a near future that does not look that much different than now. When it comes to having children, the government now dictates who can have a child. Strangers are put in an isolated location, and by the end of their stay, their actions will determine if they can be dads.

The four men quickly realize they are alone and that the instructor who should be guiding them is not present when they arrive. Left to their own devices, they act the way they think they should in hopes of being chosen to be a father. Conflict among the four men threatens to derail their chances, and when a mysterious woman shows up, things are further complicated.

Daddy is a dialog-driven film that relies more on ambient sound than a score. At 98 minutes in length, though the narrative has a few lulls, none of these affect the momentum. The performances work well within the story that unfolds. When it comes to the visuals, they are never flashy; they let the performances take center stage. That said, despite its dystopian premise, Daddy is best described as a comedy, and when it comes to humor, it succeeds most of the time.

Daddy gets a first-rate release from Anchor Bay Entertainment that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and an informative audio commentary.

Written by Michael Den Boer