Daddy and the Warlord (2019)

• 59%
• 2019
• Documentary
• Shamira Raphaëla

What if your dad might not be the hero you always imagined him to be? Clarice Gargard grew up with an idealized image of her father, but unresolved questions about his past now haunt her. Why did he collaborate with three corrupt government leaders in Liberia and with the infamous war criminal Charles Taylor? Did his job in communications imply spying and propaganda? Was he trying to help his country or was he simply after power, money and social status? Together with director Shamira Raphaëla, Gargard travels to postwar Liberia to uncover the truth about his activities. Interrogating her father and his former colleagues, she realizes the few answers she gets only make reality more elusive. With stylized mise-en-scène and light games that reflect the multifaceted narrative, this captivating quest by a daughter to understand her parentage tells the sadly common story of faded ideals in time of war.