Yndlingsdatter (Favourite daughter)

8 MINUTES

Dreamlike fragments capture the pain and beauty of a father-daughter bond

In this vibrant, pastel-hued short, the Danish animator Susi Haaning crafts a heartfelt portrait of the evolving relationship between a daughter and her father, who lives with bipolar disorder. Through a series of drifting, dreamlike vignettes, the film captures the daughter’s inner world as her perception of her father shifts to accommodate the reality that he’s both her loving protector and someone with his own struggles. By blending everyday moments with evocative metaphors, the piece portrays her transition from childhood awe to adolescent frustration as she learns to understand his illness. With just a few words and some powerful images, Haaning suffuses the film’s small universe with humour, wonder and warmth. In doing so, she deftly captures the complex, often difficult and sometimes beautiful process of coming to see a parent as a whole person.

Via Short of the Week

Director: Susi Haaning

Producer: Sophie D’Souza

Explore more

A person pushing a bike through a muddy landfill with debris under an overcast sky, distant hills and houses.

Despair can help us mourn lost futures and chart new paths

Hope is indispensable. But when false hope blinds us to reality, a short bout of despair might be the antidote we need

by Juliette Vazard

Two women sitting on a log outdoors, each holding a child, with greenery in the background.

An activist weaves motherhood into her world in this gentle short

Directed by Flavien Kressmann and Sarah Des Rosiers

A colourful plush owl toy with polka-dot wings hanging indoors against a polka-dotted wall background.

Again, again, again

I’m not infertile, but I experience recurrent miscarriages. I worry about how many more I can take

by Jami Nakamura Lin

Shadows on a wall, showing silhouettes of people and plants. A chair and a plug socket are partially visible.

Sticks and stones and words

A smart, educated woman, there’s no way I could have ended up in an abusive relationship, could I?

by Zoe Michaels

Black and white photo of two men by a waterfront fence, with boats and a hillside town in the background.

Stealing my father

I’d long had a rocky relationship with my dad. Then, a predatory caregiver took over his life

by Mark Teich

A photo showing a person holding a bouquet of mixed flowers wrapped in brown paper, viewed from above and behind.

The words that make an apology convincing

Research on the psychology of apologising finds that certain word choices are more convincing because of their mental cost

by Alice Gregory

Two children’s dresses lying flat, one blue the other white with floral patterns and colourful smocking.

The daughter I never had

I loved my three sons but still yearned for a girl. Why did this fill me with such shame?

by Emma Wilkins

A dog with a leash standing on a carved wooden bench in front of a field and bare trees under a cloudy sky.

Dog day blues

We were a new stepfamily, and only the puppy was missing. With Elsa, we lobbed a grenade into the mix

by Lily Dunn