Character
Director: Mike van Diem
Year Released: 1997
Rating: 2.0
A young man, raised by his poor single mother, finds himself in constant conflict with his biological father, a ruthless bailiff. Stodgy plotting undoes this blatant Oedipal tale and even the most inattentive viewer will realize the Father's hidden motivations early on (or maybe just me, having a father with a similar 'rearing' style) - hell, it's exactly like the Shel Silverstein/Johnny Cash collaboration "A Boy Named Sue," except this guy doesn't have a strange name, just a schizo-childhood. Like the song, this also ends in fisticuffs and mutual understanding - the 'character' of the title is, according to the tale, developed through overcoming hardships with hard work and the strength of will. Wait, wasn't that Nietzsche all along ... the military school of life philosophy about what doesn't kill can only make one stronger?
