Midlands Review of The Tale of the Fatherless
midlandsmovies • July 12, 2021
The Tale of the Fatherless
Directed by Misha Elliott and Stefan Davis
2021
A new thoughtful drama feature comes from directors Misha Elliott and Stefan Davis which covers the complicated challenges and consequences faced without the presence of fathers in life.
Some ominous police sirens open the film before we join a funeral congregation as a young West Midlands man called Tyrell (played by director Stefan Davis) says a sad goodbye to his father.
A voiceover explores the ideas of “becoming a man” yet despite this solemn beginning, Tyrell then joins his girlfriend Janine (Sadé Davis) in an awkward meet-the-parents encounter over a year later. Despite the lighter tone of the embarrassing situation with Janine's pastor father, issues brought up around the dinner table such as responsibility, religion and tradition draw the audience nicely into the themes that will be further explored later in the film.
Elsewhere Rico (Akeem Gibbs) shows contempt as he fights with his mother and another man Julian (Christian Jae) feels put out of place as he clashes with his step-dad Toby (played by Daniel Alexander), forcing him from his home.
The lack of respect – between family, friends and partners – is a thread running through the first act as different relationship statuses create conflict between individuals. We are also regularly reminded of the power of language – the banter that comes across as put downs and insults show the negative effect they can have despite “jokey” intentions.
The concept of possession is also a topic expressed in many different guises, through phrases like “my girl”, “my house” and “my rules”. It’s never “ours” which shows the fractured outlook in so many of their lives. And often Tyrell’s peers discourage his positive steps, which create a divide rather than a supportive environment.
The Runnymede Trust's recent figures indicate that “in Britain almost two thirds of black families with dependent children are lone-mother households (Owen, 2006)”. And Elliott and Davis go to great lengths to represent these mothers as well. Played with gutso and stoicism by Beverly March (as Jackie), Tonia Daley-Campbell (as Sophia) and Claudette Dawson (as Marilyn) these strong black women struggle with the fallout of their sons’ and daughters’ sometimes questionable actions.
And later, the film goes into darker territory with drug deals that look an ‘easy’ route to money, yet leave a trail of violence and death in their wake. With so much chaos around him, Tyrell begins to seek solace in the Christian church who can not only help him, but help him to help others.
The film has an abundance of coming-of-age moments akin to John Singleton’s Boyz N the Hood which also explored the lives of young people stuck in harmful environments. And add to that a dash of Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight, we also see a young man struggling to find who he is as he heads into adulthood.
One slight drawback is the multitude of issues it tries to tackle in one swoop – religion, politics, abuse, relationships, violence, drugs, addiction, life, death, family and much much more. It means just as you are drawn into one topic to explore, the audience are unfortunately moved on to another. However, by including so much it does well to represent how just one single act can permeate all aspects of life – and certainly with huge complexity and no easy answers.
As we near the conclusion, The Tale of the Fatherless shifts its focus to the idea of “change from the inside”. In this movie, one route is via the support of religious community and the church. Whether that route is the right one for all, the film’s positive message seems to be more universal; explaining that no matter what cards society may deal you, there are constructive ways out with the right outlook and responsibility.
Dropping resentment and promoting reunification, the movie is first-rate as it looks at difficult and intricate personal and societal issues throughout. And a host of top performances, including a stellar central role by co-director Stefan Davis himself, deliver the film’s weighty subject matter. In the end, despite an (over-)abundance of issues at times, The Tale of the Fatherless successfully speaks to both the head and the heart about issues facing a black community in modern Britain, doing so with understanding, passion and sensitivity.
Michael Sales
Check out the film's trailer below
On Sunday 26th April Midlands Movies Editor Michael Sales & awards ceremony co-host Ed Stagg (BBC Radio) announced the nominations for the 2026 Midlands Movies Awards live from the Queen of Bradgate Vintage Cinema in Leicester. A big thanks was given to the entire Jury Panel of industry experts who gave up their precious time to watch a huge selection of creative projects and as always, had a difficult time choosing from the excellent number of films from the region. You can read the full list of nominations across all 16 categories below and watch our announcement videos here: Part 1 & Part 2 And please also check out our great awards partner Chrome Video Best Actress in a Leading Role Karendip Phull for Family Kate Bracken for The Lace Rachel Baker for Throwing Fruit Chloe Wade for How Long Sophie Bullock for Ma Prison Best Animated Film Of All the Things by Steff Lee Big Red by James Pyle Statue in the Garden by Qianhui Yu Butterfly by Jacob Christie Best Director Luke Worrall for The Waterline Lily Portman for Quiet Jack Richardson for Daniel’s Room Jonathan Hawes for Sorry We’re Closed Sophia Dall'Aglio for Man from Mars Best Documentary Nothing's Impossible by Jacob Thomas McClean A Birmingham Symphony by Jemma Saunders We Bring Light: Leicester's Diwali Legacy by Kieran Vyas The Sunshine Café by Jill Lampert Through the Viewfinder by William North Best Sound (Editing or Mixing) Neil Evans & his team for Artificial Insanity Alasdair Gretton for Dead on Distribution Deepanjali Patel for Earworm David Hamilton-Smith for The Pause Heidi Wilson for Of All The Things Best Actor in a Supporting Role Devon Junior for Lazar Tim Sparrow for Safety Net Shaiek Ahmed Rana for Family Luke Rollason for Quiet Peter Willoughby for A Story of Spring Best Visual & Special Effects Jake Wesley-Worrall for Soul Trader Steve Askey & team for The Correction Unit Nick Willett, Matt Burkey & Jayne Hyman for Black Goat JaqD SFX MUA, Mind Magic Studios and Ben Harker for Beyond the Witching Hour Pete Key, Jai Blanks and Jacob Christie for Countenance Best Cinematography Gary Rogers for The Pause Laurence Mason-Guetta for Sorry We’re Closed Ian Snape for Soul Trader Ash Connaughton for Daniel’s Room Duane Adamoli for Surfing (nominations continue below...)
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