Page Title

Fly Away Home

(Father Goose)

PG (1996)

Columbia Pictures

Director:

Carroll Ballard

Cast:

Jeff Daniels, Anna Paquin, Dana Delany,

Terry Kinney, Barry Stickland

When 13 year old Amy (Anna Paquin) loses her mother in a New Zealand car
crash, her estranged father (Jeff Daniels) arrives to bring her home to Canada.
Alone and disoriented on his farm, she begins to come out of her shell when she
finds a clutch of orphaned goose eggs and gets them to hatch. As the goslings
come to life, so does she. When a local game office threatens to clip the birds'
wings, Dad promises Amy that he won't let it happen, and devises a plan that will
help the geese and his daughter find their way home.

This film was one of Anna Paquin's career breakthroughs and established her as
a great talent. (She has since built on success with the X-Men franchise.) We
loved the cinematography by Caleb Deschanel, including the aerial shooting
which, coupled with Mark Isham's score, provides heart-bursting beauty for the
storyline.

The screenplay is not based on a true story about the (nonexistent) characters, but
on the theory and practices involved in helping migratory birds establish routes.

Fatherhood
Dad is loving, industrious, and in a healthy relationship. An artist and a ultralight
pilot, he is a dedicated and empowering parent who comes up with a creative
solution for his troubled teen. Father and Daughter go from being near strangers
to kissing and hugging.

On another note, this is another film that plays out what seems to be a formula in
screenwriting: If a father has the kids, the mother is almost always dead.

Final Review
Father-positive. A great dad, and a moving film that the whole family can enjoy.

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