Land Legs (2016) - Samuel Collardey

Samuel Collardey's Land Legs is an in-depth character study of Dorn, a 36-year-old deep sea fisherman, who spends countless days and nights away from his family.  A divorced father of two children, Dorn has primary custody of both his children, but after his 16-year-old daughter is discovered to be 4 months pregnant, Dorn's ex-wife and bi-proxy, social services, begin to question whether the deep sea fisherman, who is sometimes gone for months at a time, should retain custody.  Only knowing life at sea, Dorn decides his only chance to keep his family together is by becoming a day fisherman.  Quitting his deep sea fisherman job, Dorn attempts to startover, though having no capital makes his decision one he may regret as his lack of income pushes his family to the brink of homelessness.  Land Legs is a powerful social drama that uses the character of Dorn to capture the importance of self sacrifice for the betterment of the family.  Dorn is well intentioned, but a character who knows very little outside of fishing, and much of Land Legs is a film about a man trying his best, maturing both as a man and as a father.  Land Legs captures the downright difficulty of starting over in life after reaching a point of stability, with Dorn struggling to sell himself to potential investors due to his limited experience as a sea captain.  Towards the end it becomes clear that Dorn simply won't be able to achieve his goal, destined back to his life as a deep sea fisherman due to his inability to raise money.  While some may find this conclusion depressing, I'd argue it is an important decision by the filmmakers as it leads to Dorn making the ultimate sacrifice, giving up his own custody of his children for their betterment, as his job as a deep sea fisherman is what ultimately provides his children with the financial security needed to flourish.  While it may not seem like it on the service this acknowledgement by Dorn is the sign of his ultimate maturation, as he sacrifices his custody for his children's overall betterment. Simple, straightforward, and emotionally effective, Samuel Collardey's Land Legs is is a powerful character study of a man maturing as a father and a man.

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