Prisoner’s Daughter, the upcoming family drama from director Catherine Hardwicke, gives its stars every chance to shine across its short run time. The film follows Max (Brian Cox), a man in and out of prison for presumably his whole life, and his daughter, Maxine (Kate Beckinsale), a single mom taking care of her son Ezra (Christopher Convery). After serving his latest sentence, which was a long twelve years, Max is allowed to return to his home under house arrest to live out his remaining months after a terminal cancer diagnosis.
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Of course, plenty of baggage comes with that, as the relationship between Max and Maxine is strained to say the least. She grew up without her father around most of the time, which led to her mother developing an ultimately fatal relationship with alcohol. Without a connection to fall back on, Maxine only agrees to take in her father for one reason: money. Max is paying rent to his daughter, helping her as she raises Ezra alone.
Of course, plenty of stress comes with that, as they barely afford their bills along with Ezra’s medicine for his frequent seizures. Their struggle is evident early on when Maxine is rationing his medicine while Ezra is upset with the kind of cereal he eats in the morning. She sees Max as a means to an end during an otherwise turbulent point in her life.
Unfortunately, Ezra’s father is mostly out of the picture. Tyler (Tyson Ritter of All-American Rejects) is a washed-up musician and deadbeat drug user living in a commune full of other deadbeat drug users. It’s clear why Maxine wants to keep him away from her son. However, that’s not easy. Whether it’s Ezra looking to spend more time with his father or Tyler showing up to school while Maxine drops him off, he tries to make any effort to look good in front of his kid while he has no intention of improving the situation he’s currently in.
There’s clearly more history to the couple than we’re shown in the film. However, audiences have every reason to root for Maxine from the start of Prisoner’s Daughter. All of these family dynamics play into the film’s predictable plot, though the performances keep the movie afloat.
Catherine Hardwicke Is Back in the Director’s Chair
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Hardwicke is back in the director’s chair after her latest project, Mafia Mamma, was released earlier this year. The 67-year-old filmmaker offers audiences something a bit different from her usual style with Prisoner’s Daughter.
The director is most known for her involvement in the first Twilight film, grossing a whopping $400 million worldwide. However, this is a far more intimate look at a small group of characters, which benefits the film significantly. In addition, a relatively unknown writer joins the project with Hardwicke, as Mark Bacci (Northern Rescue, Real Detective) pens the script for Prisoner’s Daughter.
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Although Maxine may seem like the main character, Bacci almost puts the audience in the perspective of Max as we reconnect with his daughter and home after his arrival. As Max first gets acquainted with the house after his time in prison, a flood of memories returns as we see him travel from room to room. A patched-up hole in the wall from a previous fight and a burnt section on the floor from a cigarette is just a few parts of the house Max wishes he could forget.
For a while, his intentions aren’t clear. This is a man who has repeatedly made mistake after mistake, and as the audience, you don’t know whether he plans to truly make amends with his daughter. He seems to want to make up for lost time, but we can’t be sure when Max is first introduced.
Great Performances Across the Board
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Part of what leads to Max’s mystery is Brian Cox’s excellent performance. It should come as no surprise that the four-time Emmy nominee and one-time winner has yet again given his all to embody a character. When he arrives at his old home, Maxine introduces him as her “Uncle” as she doesn’t want Ezra to be too involved in the relationship. Unfortunately, this was a plot point that would clearly be uncovered at some point, and luckily it’s sooner rather than later in the film.
As expected, Ezra discovers his grandfather’s identity, and after a few health scares, the two begin to share a bond. Ezra is looking for some semblance of a father figure in his life, and Max is there to provide that as best he can. However, Ezra would love to see more of his real father, though Maxine is uncomfortable with any interaction at all between the two. Living in Las Vegas, Tyler can’t seem to get his life together despite all the chances Maxine has given him.
Predictably, Ezra is initially frustrated and doesn’t understand the separation in the family. It’s not until later when Max has a very straightforward conversation with the boy, that Ezra begins to understand why he shouldn’t idolize his father the way he does. Although it may be clichéd, it certainly will ring true for some audiences and may hit the mark, despite the film retreading ground that countless projects have before.
Their relationship continues to grow as Convery’s character is frequently bullied at school, with most of the teasing coming from Ezra’s seizures and medical issues. As a former boxer, Max shares some knowledge with Ezra, though this may be seen as Max passing down the act of violence to another generation.
Maxine has done her best to shield Ezra from the reality of everything throughout Prisoner’s Daughter. She has kept their financial trouble, Tyler’s drug issues, and even her father’s identity a secret in an effort to protect her son. However, once Max arrives, that all quickly comes crashing down.
Kate Beckinsale’s Outstanding Role
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Despite co-starring alongside a legend in Brian Cox, Kate Beckinsale steals the show with her performance as Maxine. She perfectly exudes the energy of a stressed single mom who works two jobs to make ends meet. She has too much on her plate, and the timing of Max’s arrival only complicates things even more.
When Max first called the house to get in touch with his daughter, Beckinsale was shocked and confused about why her father would be looking to reconnect after all these years. We want nothing more than to see a happy ending for the single mom, whose struggle and stress shine through her performance across its entire runtime. She wants the best for her son, the life she never had when growing up with an in-and-out-of-jail father and alcoholic mother. Beckinsale is the glue that holds Prisoner’s Daughter together, and she takes Maxine’s part and runs with it to deliver an excellent performance that sits with some of the more memorable roles of her lengthy career.
With all the star power behind the two leads, up-and-coming actor Christopher Convery was handed a heavy task. The actor is asked to perform in several emotional scenes next to two Hollywood stars at the beginning of his career. At just 15 years old, Convery hangs around with the heavy themes present throughout Prisoner’s Daughter. He’s slowly being featured in more and more projects, including Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game, On the Verge, Stranger Things, Chicago Med, Gotham, and The Girl in the Spider’s Web.
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Unfortunately, the writing behind his character leaves a bit to be desired, as all too often, he’s left as the typical bullied teen. Luckily, several instances throughout Prisoner’s Daughter show he’s more observant than his mom initially believes. As mentioned earlier, she thinks she can hide Ezra’s own grandfather under his nose in the disguise of her uncle. However, he quickly catches onto this, making what could’ve been a long, drawn-out plot point far more believable.
Ezra’s talk with Max after a heated family discussion is also one of the film’s highlights, leaning on the heart of the characters in Prisoner’s Daughter, which should have been explored even further throughout the movie.
Themes of Violence, Regret, and Forgiveness
A cycle of violence is clearly evident throughout Prisoner’s Daughter. Max was not the kindest father, with bad decisions fueled by alcohol present in the childhood of Maxine’s life. This carried through her as well, with Ezra’s father being an abusive, drug-addicted man. While at work, Tyler suddenly appears, looking to have a conversation with Maxine. Of course, this doesn’t end well, with violence being the only answer Tyler can think of. This has significant consequences for Maxine, furthering her frustration with her ex-husband.
Then, Max resorts to teaching a form of violence to Ezra due to the constant bullying at school. Although this may be what Max believes is the best solution to his problem, it’s only furthering an ideology that runs throughout the family. Finally, in the third act of the film, the violence comes to a boiling point at Ezra’s birthday party. Once again, Tyler shows up, and Max has quickly seen enough. The cycle of violence continues, with Max handling the situation the only way he knows how.
Overall, the ending may not entirely stick the landing, but it’s enough to offer a mostly satisfying conclusion to the family drama. Unfortunately, the predictable story holds back Prisoner’s Daughter from what could’ve been an even deeper character study. It feels as though there should have been an additional 30 or so minutes added to the film, as the best emotional moments between the cast are all too often over just as they begin.
Luckily, it’s the performances we do get that elevate the film into a good project. Christopher Convery does well with what he’s given as Ezra, the conflicted son who wants a father figure in his life but has two men with troubled pasts and uncertain futures. Brian Cox, of course, also gives a convincing portrayal of the recently released convict who clearly has some good intentions with the last few months of his life. The sense of regret in his character shines through, and his impending mortality is there every step of the way. Again, Kate Beckinsale leads the way through Prisoner’s Daughter, offering a fantastic performance as the troubled Maxine.
No, Prisoner’s Daughter doesn’t reinvent the wheel regarding its story. However, the drama is worth a watch due to the performances of its three leads, who all deliver on their roles and expertly portray the complex and awkward family dynamics that come with an estranged father moving back in with a daughter when their relationship has long passed.
Prisoner’s Daughter releases in select theaters on June 30.
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