The Day My Father Became a Bush
Ten-year-old Toda lives an idyllic life with her baker father, concocting sweet confections to the delight of their town. But when her father is drafted to join the war between the “Ones” and the “Others,” their tranquil existence is upended. With her father gone and war dangerously encroaching on their town, Toda must make the secret trek to her mother’s home across the border. Along the way, she meets corrupt officials, narrow-minded neighbors, sketchy smugglers, and—luckily—friend and fellow refugee, “Stickie.” Together, they are bolstered by camaraderie and bravery. With strikingly earnest performances from the young actors and without allusions to any specific nationalities, The Day My Father Became a Bush provides a wistfully universal story about the power of resilience and empathy over fear and bigotry. *While sensitively handled, film deals with the anxieties of war.