Call Me Dad

Wednesday, June 21, 2017 – 7:30pm
Australia 2015. Dir: Sophie Wiesner. 80 min. DCP
VANCOUVER PREMIERE | In a Melbourne suburb, councillor David Nugent heads up the Heavy M.E.T.A.L. Group, a behavioural change program aimed at abusive fathers. (M.E.T.A.L. stands for Men’s Education Towards Anger and Life.) This documentary follows three men in the program who have perpetrated family violence, be it physical, emotional, or through words and manipulation. With their marriages over or hanging by a thread, and their roles as fathers slipping away, the men know they have to change. Nugent holds them accountable; he believes violence is a choice and that men can change if they have the will to do so. Initially concentrating on raw and rocky group therapy sessions (often rife with excuses and justification), the film’s focus eventually widens to include partners, children, and culture, deepening our understanding of what kind of change is required, both individually and societally, to address this complex problem.
Post-screening discussion with Dr. John Oliffe, Professor in the School of Nursing at the University of British Columbia. Founder and lead investigator of UBC’s Men’s Health Research program, his work focuses on masculinities and their influence on men’s health, relationships, and quality of life.
Co-sponsored by UBC’s Men’s Health Research, a suite of programs, projects, and resources to promote men’s mental and physical health.
Moderated by Dr. Harry Karlinsky, Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia.