Christmas with Dad

Press

• “...Connor McCormack has been granted enviable access to AJ’s life on a rough housing estate. Here the kids compete for attention in a council house as the family prepare to Christmas. There’s a whiff of poverty here, but when Christmas morning comes the house is awash with presents. This could have been a hatchet job, one of holding AJ’s family up to ridicule or opprobrium. But McCormack’s film digs a lot deeper than that. He allows AJ to tell his story, revealing how his own upbringing has shaped his opinions and showing that he is a much more thoughtful individual than a brief glance at his life might suggest. Not so much lifting the lid on AJ’s life as shining a light on the audience’s expectations and prejudices...”
  – Eye For Film

• “....Resembling the work of a seasoned filmmaker, Conor McCormack is able to gain remarkable access to reveal a young man who struggles to define his role as a father while facing an inevitable and dark twist in his life...”
  – Sheffield International Doc/Fest 2008

• “Christmas with Dad” is a beautifully structured story, introducing the viewer to a situation through subtly observed scenes and gradually revealing unexpected details that combined to produce an unforgettable portrait of a modern family...”
  – 62nd Edinburgh International Film Festival, 2008 Award Jury