The story of Dads: Five fathers, one fishing trip
Dads is a brief but emotionally dense drama that unfolds during a fishing trip where five disparate fathers find themselves in conversation about what it means to raise children in today's world. The film doesn't announce itself with fanfare — it's only 11 minutes long — but in that compact runtime, it manages to capture something genuine about parental vulnerability that longer films often miss. The setup is deceptively simple: men in a boat, water lapping against the hull, and the kind of honest talk that only happens when you're not making direct eye contact. What emerges isn't a lecture about fatherhood. It's something more honest — a collection of hopes, fears, and the quiet ache of loving someone you can't always protect.
Behind the making of Dads: A Russian ensemble piece
Dads was directed by a collaborative team of four Russian filmmakers: Armen Ananikyan, Sergey Yudakov, Karen Oganesyan, and Anna Matison. The ensemble cast brings considerable weight to the production — Dmitriy Nagiev, Sergei Bezrukov, Yuriy Stoyanov, Mark Bogatyrev, Igor Jijikine, Vladislav Semiletkov, and Yuliya Rutberg all lend their talents to this intimate portrait. These are accomplished actors accustomed to larger dramatic canvases, so their willingness to inhabit what amounts to a chamber piece speaks to the material's power. The film premiered in 2022 and found its way onto streaming platforms, making it accessible to audiences far beyond Russian cinema circles. While it hasn't generated major awards buzz or blockbuster box office numbers — it's a short film, after all — it's the kind of work that builds reputation through word-of-mouth and festival circuits, the slow accumulation of viewers who stumble upon it and can't quite shake what they've seen.
What makes Dads stand out: Vulnerability without sentimentality
The thing that strikes you about Dads is how it refuses easy sentiment. These aren't fathers performing fatherhood for the camera. They're men grappling with real ambivalence — the gap between who they hoped to be as parents and who they actually are. What's remarkable is the film's restraint. There's no swelling score, no manufactured emotional beats. The camera simply watches, and the actors simply talk. Yuriy Stoyanov, Sergei Bezrukov, and the others bring a kind of weathered authenticity to their roles, the sense that these conversations have happened in their lives before, in living rooms and cars and yes, on fishing trips. I keep coming back to how the film treats silence as seriously as dialogue — those moments when someone's about to speak but doesn't, when the weight of what's unsaid becomes heavier than words. The performances anchor everything. There's no grandstanding, no reaching for effect. It's the opposite of that — it's the discipline of underplaying, of trusting that a tremor in the voice or a glance away from the camera will do more work than any monologue. For a 2022 release, it's a refreshing antidote to the kind of prestige drama that mistakes loudness for depth.
Where to stream Dads online
Dads is currently available on Netflix, where it sits among the platform's documentary and short-form drama offerings. If you're hunting for it, Movie OTT tracks current streaming availability across all major platforms, so you can confirm where it's available in your region — availability does shift. Netflix's algorithm probably won't surface it unless you're already digging into international cinema or family dramas, which is a shame, because it's exactly the kind of hidden gem that rewards active searching. The brevity of the film makes it perfect for the streaming era — it's a genuine commitment you can complete in a single sitting, without the fatigue that can come with longer features. That 11-minute runtime is actually a strength, not a limitation. It's lean, purposeful, and it trusts you to sit with what it's given you.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Is Dads a documentary or a drama?
While the plot summary references documentary elements, Dads is structured as a scripted drama featuring professional actors. It's a fictional narrative about fatherhood, not a documentary with real fathers, though it carries the observational quality of documentary filmmaking.
Q: How long is Dads?
The film runs just 11 minutes, making it a short film rather than a feature. This compact length is intentional — it allows the filmmakers to maintain focus and emotional intensity without padding.
Q: Who directed Dads?
Dads was directed by a collaborative team of four Russian filmmakers: Armen Ananikyan, Sergey Yudakov, Karen Oganesyan, and Anna Matison. The multi-director approach brings different perspectives to the material.
Q: What's the IMDb rating for Dads?
Dads holds a 4.9 out of 10 rating on IMDb based on 117 votes, which reflects a mixed audience reception. Short films and international dramas often receive smaller voting samples, so the rating should be considered in that context.
Q: Where can I watch Dads?
Dads is available on Netflix. Check the Where to Watch widget at the top of this page for current availability in your region, or visit Movie OTT to confirm streaming options.
Final thoughts on Dads
Dads isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. It's quiet where many expect noise, intimate where others want spectacle. But if you're the kind of viewer who appreciates restraint, who finds more power in what's left unsaid than in exposition, it's worth your 11 minutes. The film understands something essential about fatherhood that gets lost in most mainstream narratives — that it's not about having all the answers. It's about standing in the uncertainty and loving someone anyway. That's the whole story. That's enough.
