Alt om min Far

Esben Benestad is a doctor in a small town in Norway. He has his own surgery, has written two books on sex education and writes a column in a men's magazine; he is also a liberal politician. However, Esben Benestad also has a second identity in Norway as Esther Pirelli, sexual therapist and occasional actress. Esben Benestad is a transvestite. In this film, Esben Benestad's son conveys his father's story with warmth, humor and irony; he provides a personal portrait of this enigmatic man, without, however, allowing himself to succumb entirely to his father's obvious talent for performance. As the film's director Even Benestadsays, “Contrary to my father's idea that this film would promote him as a colorful and different person who uses all his time and efforts to combat cultural bureaucracy, I sought to make a deeply personal portrait which takes into account the father-son relationship, in which the amount of harm one person's self-realization can have on another is established. Dad's transvestism forms the basis of the film and is a recurring theme that guides us through a somewhat different family saga. It was important for me to show that my family is not unique. There are many families like mine. ”

details

  • Runtime

    75 min
  • Country

    Norway, Denmark
  • Year of Presentation

    2002
  • Year of Production

    2001
  • Director

    Even Benestad
  • Cast

  • Production Company

    Exposed Film Productions AS
  • Berlinale Section

    Panorama
  • Berlinale Category

    Documentary Film
  • Teddy Award Winner

    Best Documentary/ Essay Film

Biography Even Benestad

Born in Grimstad on 16.9.1974. Studied cinematography at Oslo Film and Television Academy. Has been working as a cinematographer since 1997; he has made five short films and, in the year 2000, he made several short documentaries for Norwegian television. ALT OM MIN FAR is his first feature-length documentary.

Filmography Even Benestad

2007 Natural Born Star | 2009 Tempus Fugit | 2011 300 Sekunder | 2011 Pushwagner | 2014 Club 7