It’s tragic that some kids don’t get enough love. It’s even more tragic that some don’t get any at all, but Romanian master Cristian Mungiu’s Graduation takes on a father whose love turns toxic when put to the test.
The shift from benevolent protector to poisonous antagonist occurs after an unknown assailant attacks Eliza (Maria Dragus from Michael Haneke’s anti-fascist fable The White Ribbon). Granted, Romeo (Adrian Titieni, who recalls Belgian everydad Olivier Gourmet) is less of a model citizen than he appears. He’s a control freak and an adulterer, but Eliza is one scholarship away from attending Cambridge, and she has to ace her exams, so the respected physician starts calling in favors and encouraging her to play along.