Kristina Klebe’s short film, Daddy’s Little Girl, is the story of a young woman Fiona (Kristina Klebe) with Jack Daniels in hand at the doorstep of the church, where her father is about to be buried. It’s here the present seamlessly fades into the past and flashbacks to one of many nights when her alcoholic father (Alex Emanuel) would come home drunk instilling fear in the young Fiona (Sigourney Buell) and her mother (Catarina Morgado). His demon would soon become hers as well.
“…Jack Daniels in hand at the doorstep of the church, where her father is buried.”
While the story of alcohol abuse in families has been told countless times in both short and feature films, Daddy’s Little Girl stands out in two ways. The first is the personal nature of Klebe’s story, based on a poem she wrote. Wanting to judge the short on its own, I only glanced at the poem, but it’s clear this story has been with her for some time. The story is less about what happened in the past as a child, but her struggle to cope with it as an adult today.
Secondly, the short’s visual style stands out as well. Every shot is composed beautifully and specifically designed to tell her story. She creates very surreal moments, particularly during the transitions from present to past. Daddy’s Little Girl is Klebe’s NYU grad film and what I love about grad films is they never settle for just telling a straight-forward narrative both in its storyline and visual composition.
Daddy’s Little Girl will only take a few minutes of your time. It’s well worth watching this personal and emotional story.
Daddy Little Girl (2019) Written and directed by Kristina Klebe. Starring Kristina Klebe, Alex Emanuel, Catarina Morgado.
7.5 out of 10 stars
Instead of producers hiring the wrong unqualified women they should hire one of the qualified ones … her.